Music saves the soul, but a broken heart is healed only through love!
by ANIME-SUPERHERO-SUPERNATURAL
Summary: Ayane,a little songbird,has lived a dark life filled with abuse,bullying and abandonment.Her childhood full of deep emotional hurt that caused her to hide her anguish behind a fake happy personality. At Ouran on a Creative Arts scholarship,she befriends Haruhi as they're forced to deal with the Host Club's. Will the Host boys break her cheery façade and see Ayane's true self? OC
1. The Audition

"…_Deh, vieni alla finestra, o mio tesoro,__deh, vieni a consolar il pianto mio__~"_

"Thank you for your audition, we will contact you if you have managed to get to a further stage in the scholarship process, if not, I'm afraid you won't have gotten on our program. I thank you once again for choosing Ouran as your school of choice" A man spoke, just one of the judges to some but to me, was the gateway to a new life. He was a man who held the hopes and dreams of hundreds of students in the palm of his hands, students all hoping to get into the prestigious high school that is Ouran Academy. There are few scholarships to Ouran, since it was originally built for the arrogant rich boys and girls that got their place here handed to them because of their status or daddies cash, and there was no guarantee that anybody would get a scholarship in the end anyway. No, this school was not at all made for normal folk like us, who have to work their ass off to get a glimpse of what they get. There were only three scholarships that I knew of, Academic Genius, Sports Pro, and Creative Prodigy. Not being the smartest, and having absolutely no hand-eye coördination, It was easy to figure out which one I'm applying to. Getting considered for this wasn't just in one profession however, it required multiple talents: I not thee most graceful person, but I could stick to a rhythm easily and my knowledge of music helps me match my moves to the beat and although my drawings didn't match Picasso's, I'd had enough talent to get straight A's in my art class. Even my acting skills weren't the most polished but after being in both the school play and musical, I managed to bump my grade up to an A+. It wasn't those skills I had banked on getting me the place however, it was my song writing. I had an average voice and could only play a common instrument (the guitar), but it was a great passion of mine to write songs, my dream to hopefully one day have my hobby become my profession, no matter how far fetched the idea was. However, living in the run down place I do, I knew being well-known for your talents is next to impossible. With my Auntie unwilling to support my dream, I knew that the only way to get a foot in the right path is going to this snobby place and get into contact with contractors and influential people in the entertainment industry. If I don't get a place here, I will be forced to leave the life I had built here and move back to my Aunt's home country, Britain. I will do anything it takes to stay here and at least get a chance for my dream, even going to this pretentious place and having classmates become spoilt brats…

As I tuned my guitar backstage, I glanced to my left, finally seeing the Opera singer herself. She was a cute little thing, all dressed up in little pink frills, a head full of little blonde ringlets with clips and ribbons sprinkled around the fancy do. She skipped off stage like a toddler, running to her 'mummy' backstage and bragging in a high pitched squawk that her performance was surely the winning one. I grimaced as her parents agreed with her, fawning over their 'little princess'. It almost make me gag…almost. I was instead hoping to god that even if I didn't get the scholarship, someone other than little miss puff-ball would. I sighed, my fingers skimming over the strings, plucking them softly as I prepared myself for the audition. I had been here since the crack of dawn to watch the competition and weigh my chances. There seemed to be a generic pattern in the performers, unlike the diverse mix of performances I had originally thought would appear. Their were either doe-eyed porcelain dolls who sung some typical Idol song (while doing some stupid dance to fully get the 'Idol' image), or they were posh girls who'd picked their favourite song (that were almost always in the tops charts that had nothing but a catchy chorus and no real meaning to the words)…But occasionally, there were breeds like cupcake princess who did something different and exciting like Opera or rap, but were such bitches that I cringed at the thought of this school getting _poor_ assholes to mix with the rich ones. This did raise my confidence however, since not one person had sung an original song like I was and although I knew my voice wasn't as good as some of theirs, I hoped my lyrics would reach the heart of the judges as I'd spent weeks preparing these words and they carried my strong emotions with them.

"Ayane Kurone, please come on stage, your time to perform is now" The announcement snapped me out of my thoughts, forcing me to focus. I grabbed my guitar and hopped out of my seat. The thing was nothing but a dusted old piece of junk that had been bumped and scuffed too many times to count, but it had gone through a lot with me so I chose it anyway, like a good luck charm. Besides, appearances didn't matter to me at this point, all I cared about was the music…and I hoped the judges did as well. I walked on stage, feigning a cool and calm demeanour, even though my stomach had suddenly become a training ground for a series of acrobats, my stomach doing flips and turns and tumbles and rolls, threatening to make me lose my cool. The stage was massive; faded satin curtains bordered the polished wooden stage in a suffocating manner, the warm spotlight trained on my every movement casting shadows across the room due to the dark backdrop smothering all light trapped in the room. I walked downstage until I stood in front of the panel of judges, taking deep, long breaths to calm my nerves. I was not about to let fear ruin my chances. I squinted my eyes against the stage lights, trying (and failing) to see the judges expressions.

"You may now start when you're ready. Best of luck" A female's voice cut through the silence, her monotone voice barely reaching my ears. I took one last deep breath, briefly paused to steady my shaking hands, before I began to strum a tune. Once I got enough confidence playing, I was lost in the music, my mind losing all worries and fears as I became absorbed in the tune, my soul getting carried by the song. It was then that I opened my mouth and expressed myself through my lyrics;

**Ah~**** could you wait for me for a little while?  
****Ah~ ****there's a voice calling somewhere...  
**  
"**Being a huge star someday, a**** popular and successful musician -  
****Rather than staring at dreams like that, i****t's better if I don't look at them.  
****Someone, please, chase after them in my place, ****I'm embracing helplessness alone.****"**

**A trembling soldier -  
****For that sort of you,  
****I'll cut through these clouds a****nd sing for you like a light shining through,  
****So strike those rusted strings.**

**"Making a great invention someday a****nd winning the Nobel Prize -  
****I've thrown away crumbling dreams like that a long time ago.  
****I'm tumbling toward a corner, s****o I'm getting enough water to not wither away."  
****  
"A downcast soldier -  
****For that sort of you,  
****I'll make the rain fall down o****n the ground of your heart.  
****One of these days, it will make golden flowers bloom a****nd they will sway in the wind."  
****  
"There are nights when I can't fall asleep alone,  
****But if people are there, I'll just take it out on them.  
****Oh, how pathetic I am.  
****My life is misfortune.  
****No one has any need for this kind of me.  
****I may as well just disappear."**

**Ah~**** even I have the same kinds of thoughts.  
****Ah~ ****living on is a difficult thing to do.  
****Ah~ ****that's why I want you to listen to my song.  
****Ah~ ****because it's a song I'll only sing for you...**

**But I have to go soon.  
****I can't overstay my time here.  
****I come here to take care of promises I've left behind,  
****So this will be my last song.  
****If it becomes even a little bit of power, that would be great.  
****Everyone is a soldier, a**** dreaming soldier.  
****Roar out high in the sky!**

**It's fine to not have confidence in yourself.  
****I'll believe in you, always.  
****Ah****…****it's finally just you and me here now.  
****A****h…****please let me hear your song, too****…**

I finish with a one last strum of my guitar, Breathing heavily, thinking I might have gotten a bit too passionate with my performance, knowing I was so focused on singing, I hadn't concentrated on playing my instrument enough. I look up at the judges, who were scribbling fiercely on their score sheets. One man looked up, repeating the message every other person who applied had heard before I was shooed off the stage, forced to spend the next week in excruciating suspense about my results, and what the future held for me.

* * *

Hi everyone, this is my first story so I really would appreciate some feedback, **so please review!**

This is only a opening paragraph, so there isn't a lot of information about my OC yet, especially her personality, But don't worry, the next chapter will be her meeting Haruhi and the gang, and you will get to know her better then :)

The song is in japanese, and this is just the english translation, it is a song from GIRLs DEad MOnster (GIRLDEMO), you will have heard of them if you know about the anime Angel Beats, and I plan to use quite a few of their songs as I think they have amazing lyrics, so check out some of their songs if you haven't already, and here is the link to the song on this chapter** watch?v=FbnmNuEDLqU&list=UUHn5oCxHFgx0S7M5mdaMjAQ.**

I plan to update real soon, so if you're interested by my story, or want to read a bit more before making your opinion, then **please follow my story **to be the first to read my new chapter when it is published

**Thats all folks, Goodbye!****:)**


	2. A common ally in such snobby territory

"**Oh what a beautiful mornin', Oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, Everything's going my way!…**OK folks, hope ya'll have enjoyed that mega morning' tune, next on our playlist is a bit of-" I flicked the radio off, the happy tune not comforting my doubts about today in the slightest. I sighed, picking up my makeup box, before beginning to slowly apply it, only adding the bare minimum-Mascara and lipstick. I had never liked covering the freckles sprinkled across my face, I preferred to proudly showcase them instead. I looked in the mirror as I did it, seeing my reflection show the worry etched on my face. Once I had finished, I slapped my cheeks and shook my head, staring straight into the reflection of my blue eyes that were currently swirling with unease. I muttered I was being ridiculous and that there was no reason to be so nervous, after all, I had prepared myself for this day ever since the acceptance letter arrived…

* * *

_I was sat at the table, swelling with pride as I reread the letter, over and over again, still in shock at the words. But it was there, clear as day "Ayane Kurone, you have been accepted into Ouran Academy", there was no denying it, I had aced the live examination, and all the hard work I spent improving my grades has let me slide right past the other competition, straight into a place at my high school of choice. I was happy, but wasn't about to jump for joy just yet, knowing I still had one more obstacle to get through before I could secure my place there. My auntie. Speaking of the devil, the woman herself walked in, a pink watering can in her hand, her floral apron still pinned to her body. Besides her attire, there was nothing cute about this woman; she was a strict figure, with a harsh expression and a fierce tongue. When she saw the paper crumpled in my hand though, she prepared her weapon. _

"_What is that?" She curtly asked, snatching it out of my palms before I could answer. I watched her solemnly, my face sullen as I saw her eyes hastily scan through the letter's content. When she got to the end, she looked at me, scoffing in disbelief. _"_They actually accepted you? Well, that's the biggest shock I've experienced in long time" She exclaimed, her weapon warming up . "They laid it on a little thick didn't they? 'Your talents in the creative arts are impressive and your talent as a songwriter is superior to even some professionals now' for a high-class Academy, their praising you a bit much, aren't they?" I looked at her silently, my expression impassive as I felt she wasn't done just yet, her weapon still aimed straight at me. _"_Besides, I've already sorted out the details for you to come to Britain with me" She announced, scrunching the letter into a ball and throwing it to my feet "Sorry, but I just presumed you'd never get in. Not that it matters now, we're leaving next week, first thing in the morning, whether you like it or not." She explained carelessly, starting to walk away, her weapons fired and her attack finished. Her words targeted me, a kill shot, aimed straight at my heart. I sat there, my calm façade slipping as I heard her unbothered tone, my fists clenching in anger. I wasn't to let this woman ruin what I had spent three years preparing for. I stood up abruptly, the chair falling to the floor with a loud clatter as my Auntie paused at the door, surprised my sudden action, so out of character for my usually submissive self._

I raised my head to glare at her, determination blazing in my eyes as I opened my mouth to counterattack, not willing to back down to the enemy, finally using the war plan I never thought I'd need to use.

"_I'm not leaving" I stated, my voice deadly calm.  
_"_Excuse me? Do you have any jurisdiction to oppose me, after all that I have done for you, after I fed you, clothed you and took you in when nobody else would?" She sneered, gripping my arm tightly.  
_"_I'm not faulting you for that, I'm very grateful for what you have done to me and I do not intend to argue with you like a spoilt child not getting what she wants. I have thought of a solution so that both of us can work this out" I elaborated, watching her expression carefully. She narrowed her eyes but listened, seeing I was serious about this and was not just a desperate attempt to plead with her like a little girl. I paused to collect my thoughts before I began to explain my plan, making sure to keep my voice calm and collected the whole time.  
_"_You paid off the mortgage for this house last month, right? That means you own the house now."  
_"_If you think for one minute, I'm going to let you live here in such a beautiful home-"  
_"_So I was thinking we let someone rent it" I quickly interrupted, "And I use the money to live in a small apartment, including using it for food and other living requirements. You wouldn't need to take care of me at all and any extra money I need I can get from a job." I finished, my serious expression showing her how much thought I put into it. Her grip slackened from my arm, her gaze trying to pierce my placid expression, searching for a hole in my plan.  
_"_Really, are you serious? You wouldn't ask me for anymore help or money, I would be rid of you for good?" She said, sceptical of my plan.  
_"_I promise, you won't have to take care of me anymore, you can go to Britain, and forget about me completely" I vowed, staring at her intently "Just as long as I get the rent money from this place, I should be able to live sufficiently". She stared at me, her face questioning as she considered her options…_

* * *

She eventually agreed to my plan but warned me that while she would sort out the house and get the money, I would need to get the apartment and pack my stuff before she leaves. That all bat had left the country weeks ago but I still had a few boxes left in my room, having put off unpacking for a while now. I was digging through a box right now in fact, taking out my black headband and fixing into my hair, sighing as I sought to tame my curly mop of hair with a generous dollop of hair gel. I always took extra attention to my hair, since it was the first thing everyone saw, considering how rare it was to have natural red hair in Japan. I blame it on my foreign mother though, who I was told had had the most gorgeous locks of flaming curls, not that I ever had the chance to ask her how she got her hair to look as perfect as they say, since mine would rather do whatever the hell it wanted. Deciding I looked decent enough, my long fringe covering a generous amount of my face anyway, I glanced up at my clock to see if I had time to make breakfast…but I was shocked to find I was _35 minutes _behind schedule! I stumbled as I grabbed my guitar case and scoured the room for my jacket, realising I shouldn't have been so slow in getting ready and at this rate, was going to be late on my first day of high school...I sped across the apartment room, throwing the door open and running to the elevator, about to get on, until my hands flew to my face and I realised with a groan that I had forgotten something important. MY GLASSES.

I panted heavily, finally on the train, with enough time to arrive at school on time, hopefully with everything I needed. I eventually arrived at my destination, and walking out of the train and running to the right street, I froze on the pavement as I saw the school in front of me. It was large, more like a mansion than a school, and it was clear a lot of thought had been put into the architecture. It had been designed specifically to cater for an elegant and rich kind of taste; It contained beautiful pane glass windows dotted across five levels of the mid 1900's italian empire, exquisite statues similar to gargoyles along the vast amount of ledges and even a large clock tower built right in the middle of the building...And this was just the first building! The grounds at this School were extraordinary, with over 35 different buildings for various lessons, there was no shortage of specialised equipment and teaching. I found no fault with the building, well, except maybe one _small _thing…It was **pink**. I don't mean a baby pink or pale red either, it was legitimately painted the colour of a flamingo. It seemed like the type of colour that's nice in, let's say a picture (Like in the brochures I saw it in), but in real life looked like it was made to burn your eyes out if looked at too long. I shook my head, walking briskly towards the door, not wanting to stare at the atrocious colour any longer, warning myself that Pictures are very deceiving things, **very** deceiving.

The rest of the day went smoothly, or at least, better than I had thought it would have gone. I had been given a rough timetable, filled with a harsh mix of singing, instrument playing, dancing, art and (My favorite lesson) songwriting, back to back with my normal academic studies. Add in the amount of walking you had to do to get anywhere...it was a truly strained schedule. The artistic lessons were just as I had envisioned, famous teachers as strict beings of authority, not accepting one mistake and it was exactly what I got. A lot of the class had messed around, but they were soon whipped into shape after the 500 pound blob of a teacher barked at us furiously, not allowing one break in-between and making sure she broke our spirits upon entering the door. She was tough, and left a fair few of the girls-And some boys-Leaving the room in tears. But no matter what she said to me, I didn't react one bit, for once proud of my indifference to insults and although it didn't earn me any brownie points, I was proud to say she hadn't broken my spirit. That ordeal compared to the academic studies, I would have rather dealt with the rabid hog all day instead, realising pitifully how much my intelligence lacked. By the end of the day, the second half had worn me out worse than the dance teacher did and that was saying something. But besides the teacher's, the worst part of this high and mighty school was just as I thought, the spoilt students attending. The moment I walked in, they had began the whispers, it very clear who they were talking about.  
"Who's that, and why isn't she wearing the uniform?...Really, you mean she can't even afford that much…poor girl."  
"OMG, that's her, the scholarship student! She's different that what I pictured her as, don't you think? I didn't know they had enough money to dress like that, even if it is cheap material. She's really making the best of her situation though, isn't she? What a brave, brave girl"  
"…Eh?…How could you miss her, she's got bright red hair! Argh, fine, fine, I'll send you a pic of her, but she's literally the only girl in school not in a dress!". I acted indifferent to their chat though, as if I couldn't hear them, deciding the girls talk wasn't as bitchy as I originally thought. I realised that although they were basically insulting me about the digits in my bank account and everything that came with that, their insulting comments said in a more unintentional way. It was as if their daddies cash was shoved so far up their senses, it was blocking them so they were oblivious to what the definition of 'middle class' meant and what people with an ¼ of one month's worth of their pocket-money would get whole families in life. I couldn't really blame them for their ignorance though, it was obvious they were brought up that way, but it didn't stop me feeling especially irritated about the way they constantly went about feeling sorry for me like I was some sort of malnutritioned African kid in a charity advert…At least most of the students in my class had been seemingly nice and kind to me, or I would think them complete assholes who rode on their high horse like they were better than everybody else...Or at least, their actions made my judging of them more lenient. I was still suspicious of them though, not fully sure if they spoke to me as an attempt to make friends or if they simply wanted to seem charitable in front of their rich acquaintances...Or if they even just felt sorry for me because of my social class. Whatever it was, I wouldn't trust them until they stopped seeing me like some sort of peasant and as an actual human being that deserves to be seen as an equal.

It was currently after school however and I had more important things to think about than my new classmates. I was searching the school, trying to find a place to get the right equipment for my electric guitar before I went home and practised with my band. I needed to find an amplifier before I could so. But it seemed every music room was void of anything but instruments fit for an orchestra, an electric guitar not on a child prodigy's list of things to play. I finally turned down an unfamiliar corridor and sprinted down it, my eyes glued to the wall to find another music room. I was too busy looking at the door number however to notice someone coming down the opposite end of the corridor, also not looking straight ahead. By the time we did notice each other's presence, it was too late.

_Boom, _We ended up colliding badly, the clash causing both of our heads to meet the floor with a smack, our possessions now sprawled around us. I sat up, my head throbbing from the impact, cursing softly as I noticed the glasses absent from my face. I blindly groped the floor for my glasses but when I picked a pair up, I noticed they weren't my own. Looking ahead, I saw the girl had done the same thing as me, she looking down in confusion at my spectacles in her hand. We looked at each other, silence filling the space between us before we silently swapped our glasses, giving each other sighs of relief upon realising that we weren't some rich kid that would probably want to sue us for all our money because we scuffed their million yen shoes.  
"Heh…Sorry about that" I muttered with a laugh, flashing her a wide grin.  
"Oh no it's fine, I wasn't looking where I was going" She insisted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. Breaking eye contact, we noticed our surroundings, both of us seeing our objects dispersed around us. Without a word, we began to pick up each other's stuff, both of us feeling quite generous. I picked up her school book and she picked up my guitar case before we then happily began to swap the articles that neither of us were clearly interested in, our objects contrasting significantly.

As we did this exchange, I looked at her closely, realising I recognised the girl. I briefly remember her being in my academic classes. What was her name again…Hu…Hara…Haru…?  
"My names Haruhi Fujioka by the way" 'Haruhi' suddenly said, answering my questions as if she'd read my mind.  
"Yeah, Hey Haruhi, I'm Ayane Kurone. You're in some of my classes, right?" I said, dusting myself off, deciding that talking to her would be fine since she wasn't one of the rich pricks around here. She looked at me in surprise, probably because I used her first name after just meeting her. I didn't know what it was, whether it was my foreign genes or the time I had spent in Britain, I always acknowledged someone on a first name basis with no honorifics, no matter how close we were, Even if the Japanese were shocked or even offended by it every time.  
"So," Haruhi began, "Are you the other exchange student here, the one for music?" She asked, pointing to the guitar case strapped to my back. I nodded in answer, knowing my appearance gave it away instantly. While the girls here wore a uniform that was primarily yellow and designed like a large disney princess gown, I decided that since I couldn't afford the uniform, I wasn't restricted to the colour scheme or style of clothing either. My uniform seemed much like a cheaper version of the boys, with a few alterations. I wore black skinny jeans, a white shirt (With a few of the top buttons undone of course, deciding against a tie and choosing instead to show a bit of skin) and a light blue blazer, similar to the schools except it was cut and shaped more for a woman's bodice and had no logo on. But looking at Haruhi, she looked like she didn't even try to get something remotely similar to the uniform. She wore black trousers and a white shirt that seemed fit for school attire, but then decided to wear a faded grey sweater that was about _3 sizes too big for her_!  
"Yeah, It's pretty obvious isn't it? Hard to ignore people like us in this school, but aren't you glad you can't afford the uniform? No offence to the girls here but the uniform makes them look like giant, ugly, yellow creampuffs!" I stated loudly, Unfazed as I heard the insulted gasp of a female student passing by, who decided to storm off angrily at my words. Haruhi blinked slowly at the incident but then thoughtfully tilted her head, muttering in agreement that the boy's uniform seemed much more appealing. I gave a small smile, deciding that this school could use a down to earth girl like Haruhi and maybe I could too, or else I might just die from the close minded snobs I'm going to be surrounded by for the next three years.  
"Yeah, If I had a choice, I'd much rather be a boy coming here than a girl" I stated, shrugging my shoulders in a 'If only' gesture, "So, what are you doing here after school anyway? You can't be going to extra classes cause you must be the one who got the smart-ass scholarship...You don't look like the most athletic person around with your skinny little self" I said cheerfully, maybe coming on a little too forward in my speech. I didn't think this scrawny girl thought I meant any disrespect to lack of athletic build anyway, my own body quite plump. Haruhi seemed to ignore how rude the comment might have come across though, explaining that she was trying to find a quiet place to study and she thought that this music room might be free, further explaining that the Library's were useless since all the rich folk were using it as a social ground after I questioned her place of study. We both shared a smile as I admitted that these rich kids seemed to only want to go to school to have fun, as proven by the majority of my class. We both then shared a bonding moment, so suddenly overwhelmed with understanding of our situation we knew we would spend a lot of time together in the future. Then my brain finally sunk in what she said.

"Wait, you were doing to use _this_ music room, because I was kinda hoping I could use it to find an amplifier for my guitar…I sort of need it for my band, and the school allows me to take stuff like that home for 'homework' purposes…" I trailed off, looking at her apologetically. Nice or not, I needed my amplifier, and I was going through any means necessary to get it, even if I had to fight her for the room. Haruhi thought otherwise though, saying that if just needed it to take home, then I don't actually need the room to practice, right? So I can just get the amplifier and she can use the room to study after I take it. I looked at her with a smile, realising she was right and my thoughts of scamming her for the room vanished as quickly as it came…I guess this is why she got the Smart Ass Scholarship and I didn't. I stopped my wandering thoughts, nodding my head at her plan as we both opened the door to the room, both of us hoping we would find what we needed. However, we not only didn't find what we were looking for, we faced something worse than our wildest nightmares, a horror more terrifying than anything we had ever witnessed. We had stumbled into…**The Host Club.**

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated!**

I thought I would split this episode into two, so that she had some quality time with Haruhi before meeting the boys, please tell me what you think! I like the thought of Haruhi becoming friends with a girl who has a 'I don't give a shit' attitude, since Haruhi is so unbothered by a lot of things, I think she could see the good in a seemingly rude girl, while similarly, Ayane can appreciate having such a down to earth kind of girl while she deals with the rich people she absolutely hates...

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapter!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_


	3. Meeting new idiots and dealing with old

Upon opening the door, I was hit with the sickly sweet scent of flowers as rose petals escaped the room. My nostrils burned with the intoxicating smell, my vision impaired as they flew to stick to my face. I hated flowers. Brushing the horrible things from my face, I looked at Haruhi in confusion, not sure why there were petals coming out of a music room like it was florist, before my attention turned to the open door as Haruhi continued to stare in shock at the entrance to the room. I turned my head and was met with an enchanting sight; 6 boys were waiting in the middle of a room, practically glowing as they smiled welcomingly, dozens of roses surrounding them…Wait a minute, how are the petals even flying around the room!? Did they have some hidden fan or something? What was the point of this ridiculous entrance?

I looked at the boy's closely, wondering if the perfect synchronization of their positions were practiced beforehand, since it seemed like they had been expecting us...Raising another question in my mind about if they were our stalkers and they had been waiting for the right moment to corner us. Sitting at the front was a blonde haired boy, fair skinned and carrying a regal smile. He had such hypnotising purple eyes, a rare eye colour to see, especially in Japan. Standing behind him, his arms crossed, was a boy with glasses, a smug expression accompanying his sharp facial features. He wore the same uniform as everyone else, but he somehow wore it smarter, his shirt/jacket cleaner and crisper than the others, his black hair severally smoothed back. Back to back with him, was a tall boy, who was showing only his back to us, not telling me much about his appearance. But I still noticed his cropped black hair, broad shoulders and muscled arms, telling me he probably worked out and held a serious 6 pack underneath his shirt. However, he also gave off a more distant aura compared to the rest, silent and aloof. On the other side of the chair, was what looked like identical twins, standing hip to hip beside each other. Their slim frame was relaxed as they stood casually, their hands in their trouser pockets, a mischievous smirk on both their faces. They also rocked carefully spiked hair, their auburn locks looking the same except for their fringes, one having parted it to the right, the other one, to the left. The last boy was another blonde, except this one was considerably smaller than the rest, probably not even 5 ft yet and his doe-eyes and innocent smile told me that this kid was much younger than the rest. I looked at each of the boys sceptically, wondering why they were in the music room when I was sure they weren't in any of my music classes, and why they also transformed the room into some sort of rose garden…Just as the thought crossed my mind, Specs began to speak.

"Private school Ouran Academy is first about Pedigree and second about money" He began to explain, "Rich people have lots of free time, thus, this Host Club was created by 6 beautiful high school students-who also have lots of free time-to serve those female students during their free time". I stared at them, a ludicrous expression on my face, not only did the vain rich kids describe _themselves_ as beautiful, but they were arrogant enough to babble on about their high-class rituals about money and status like we were-Wait…did they just say HOST CLUB!? In a _high school_? What the hell is this!? I turn to Haruhi, who had latched herself to the wall, squirming as her hands tried to grasp the door handle to get out.  
"T-T-This is a H-Host club!" She stammered, suddenly nervous. I bit back a smile at her response, thinking she might be exaggerating slightly, finding her quite amusing since she seemed like such a calm person prior to this. Perhaps she hasn't had much experience with arrogant pretty boys before?  
"Oh wow, we have a guy here as well as a girl" Two voices exclaimed, perfectly in sync. I turn to see that the twins (Now labelled Thing one and Thing two) had spoken. I felt my eyebrows knit together in confusion as I wondered which one of us they were referring to as a boy…  
"Hikaru, Kaoru, I believe this young man is in your class, isn't he? And the young lady is in your afternoon classes only, right?" Specs asked, turning to Thing one and two for an answer. Meanwhile I raised an eyebrow at being addressed to so politely, what high school student calls another high school student young lady? What happened to simple terms like 'bro from biology', 'cutie from chemistry' or 'that random guy that's constantly high in the back of my history class'?  
"Yeah but he's shy and doesn't act very sociable, while the girl's very overwhelming and can be harsh when she makes jokes- So we don't know much about either of them" Specs smirked, a smug expression on his face as if he knew something they didn't, telling Thing one and Thing two that what they said wasn't polite, before welcoming us to the host club again, calling us **Mr and Miss Honour student**.

I saw the twins shrug as if they didn't care for their actions before my vision was cut off by Prince Blondie, who had suddenly jumped out of the chair and was currently shoving his face closer to ours, an awed expression plastered onto it.  
"WHAT!? You must be Haruhi Fujioka and Ayane Kurone then…" Prince Blondie blurted out, causing Haruhi to stop struggling to get the door open and me to stand up in suspicion, having casually been leaning against the wall the whole time, wondering what time Glee was on tonight. "You must both be the exceptional honour students we heard about". Quickly glancing at each other, Haruhi slowly turned around, asking worriedly how they knew our name, while I was more curious about what they had heard about me, besides the fact that most of these rich assholes think I'm too 'overwhelming', when they're the ones constantly shoving the amount of money in their bank accounts at me with every chance they get.  
"Why your infamous, it's not everyday that a commoner gains entrance into our Academy, let alone two at the same time" Specs explained, "You must have an audacious nerve to work hard enough to fight your way into this school, Mr Fujioka and Miss Kurone".  
"Well, Errr…Thank You, I guess" Haruhi muttered, her expression strained as she tried to stop the irritation show on her face, while I scoffed, muttering a 'whatever' and rolling my eyes, knowing those spoilt kids wouldn't understand the effort it took to get into this school. I had forced myself to do things I'd never done before and the work I had put into going into a school like this was something my body shouldn't have physically handled (I'll probably have some serious joint/muscle problems when I'm older), so god knows what preparation Haruhi went through to be smart enough to not only get into this school, but study enough to hold the title as the most intelligent in school.  
"Your welcome!" A voice said cheerfully, an arm coming out of nowhere to wrap around mine and Haruhi's shoulders. "You're both a hero to poor people, you two have shown the world that even poor people can excel at an elite private academy!"

Haruhi looked at him in annoyance while I laughed at his ridiculous speech, wondering if he was crazy or something. Haruhi carefully shuffled away from his arms, cringing away from Prince Blondie. Not really bothered by the creep, but refusing to suffer his ignorant words alone, I shrugged his intruding arm off my shoulders, and walked away in the direction Haruhi was going, wondering what mental condition this clown had as I cheerfully waved him goodbye. But he was clueless to Haruhi's obvious unwelcoming mood as he twirled and whirled towards us, carrying on his insulting prattle as he waved his arms around dramatically. His action caused me to briefly wonder if he _was _in my acting class and I just never noticed, but quickly dismissed the thought knowing you would have to be both blind _and_ deaf to miss an obnoxious blonde like him around here...or in the whole of Japan. "It must be hard to constantly be looked down upon by others-"  
"I think you're taking this poor thing too far" Haruhi cried out, desperation in her voice as he continued to follow us around as she sped up her shuffling, While I casually walked beside her as I whistled a happy tune, realising how utterly clueless these rich kids were. 'Constantly looked down upon by others', well I'm luckier than most people and met many people who are jealous of the things I get **in Japan. **Are these rich brats forgetting the poor starving children in India? "Spurned, neglected...Well that doesn't matter now, long live the poor!" He spoke, his voice dripping with admiration like we were some sort of war veterans as he once again caught us in his arms, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "We welcome you, poor students, to our world of Beauty!" He finished, his arms stretched out as if to showcase the 'Beauty' he speaks of.

"I'm outta here" Haruhi mumbled, walking towards the door, feeling exhausted after that ordeal.  
"Same here, I've got places to be, dealing with these rich idiots after school is too much work. Later boy's, call me when you get a couple of female cuties hosting and then we'll talk" I said, catching up to her by the door. But just as Haruhi and me were about to leave…_Pounce_, the blonde toddler came out of nowhere and grabbed Haruhi's arm, dragging her back to the middle of the room. What was a kid like that doing here in a high school..._and in a host club_?  
"Come back here Haru-Chan, you must be like a Superhero or something!" He exclaimed loudly, the high pitched squeal of the child hurting my ears, which were already hurt enough after Prince Blondie gave me that sensationalised so-brave-living-poor speech. "I want to hear the story about when you saved the queen!"  
"I'm not a hero, I'm an Honour student…" She sighed, exasperated, before "AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING HARU-CHAN!" She suddenly shouted into the kid's face, wrenching her arm out of his grasp as the kid backed away crying, hurt by her brash actions. I watched as tall, dark and silent gave him a..._pink bunny? _I on the other hand, applauded her actions, hating annoying brats anyway before deciding that while they're distracted with Haruhi, I could just run away undetected, even at the expense of losing my only common ally in this strange planet known as 'spoiltrichkidonia', where rich brats think they're so great they live in a different world to everybody else. Just as my hand was on the handle ready to leave this weird place, my mind made up that leaving Haruhi was for the greater good and one day she would understand…Prince Blondie said something that caused me to pause.

"I never would have imagined one of the famous scholars would be so openly gay" I large smile spread across my face as I started to giggle at his words, watching Haruhi's face while she repeated his words, befuddled as to how he come to that conclusion. It seemed I was right, they thought Haruhi was a boy and since she stumbled into this room, they presume she's also gay. What a bunch of close minded idiots, have they never seen girls with a different or varied hair style before? What if Haruhi was just a tomboy and liked her short hair and baggy clothes, they shouldn't judge her for that, because that's downright prejudiced-BUT...that doesn't make the situation any less hilarious to watch. As I paused to watch the scene play out, I saw Prince Blondie click his fingers as he came to some sort of conclusion in his mind.  
"So…Tell me what type of guy you like" He said, walking up to Haruhi, and as an afterthought, said to me "Oh, and you too, Miss Kurone. You're still a famous guest too" I looked at him, a mischievous smile on my face as I shook my head, saying Haruhi seems like the type of 'guy' to want lots of different boy's attention on 'him', so I'll come back another time. But my plan failed, he got a tight grip on my wrist and dragged me to Haruhi's side, saying I am an important scholar as well, so I must be included in the special treatment. I stumbled slightly as he put me next to Haruhi, who was looking at me in anger at being betrayed, but I simply shrugged, grinning widely as I said that if I was in her place, I would have wanted her to leg it if she had the chance. This caused her to sigh, mumbling that it doesn't matter now, were stuck. I wink and say, 'I'll try and think of a way out of this', causing her to look at me curiously. Before she could question my motives however, Prince Blondie began to speak.

"Do you like the strong silent type" Pointing to TDAS (Tall, dark and silent)  
"The boy Lolita" Pointing to Blonde Toddler next, who was clearly just paedophile bait, no matter how you look at it.  
"Or how about the mischievous type" He continued, showing us Thing one and two, who were now standing back to back, a wide smirk on their identical faces.  
"Maybe even…the cool type" He whispered the last one, pointing to Specs, who was fixing his glasses in what I guess was in a _seductive_ way? I smiled softly, thinking these boys were cute for trying, but none of them were even close to getting my juices flowing, all of them the wrong type, while Haruhi had simply become a stumbling, stuttering mess at the prospect of being clumped together with their obviously horny customers.  
"I…Err…I-I-It's not like that, I was just looking for a quiet place to study" She shouted, backing away from all of them. I guess none of them were Haruhi's type either and all the attention was making her nervous.  
"Or maybe…" Blondie announced, his hand reaching out to touch Haruhi by the chin, pulling her face close to his, "You're into a guy like me, what do you say?" He whispered suggestively, rubbing his finger against her cheekbone softly. I rolled my eyes at the action, grabbing Haruhi by her collar and dragging her away from the flirty man, who had caused Haruhi to flip out with embarrassment. I waved goodbye to the boys with my free hand, cheerfully telling Prince Blondie that his flirting skills suck and I'm taking her away from the crazy molesters now. As I said this, Haruhi was gasping loudly like I'd just saved her from drowning and blindly staggered backwards, trying to get as far away from Prince Blondie as possible. I tried to warn her but by then, it was too late. She crashed into a podium, a podium with a VERY expensive looking vase in it, that was now falling to the floor.

I darted forward, my hands outstretched, but being cursed with stubby arms and legs I fell short of the vase, just as Haruhi did, her fingers close but close enough as we watched it collide with the floor. The vase fell in a mockingly slow way, before touching the floor and exploding into more pieces than we could count. So much for just getting some pritt stick and gluing it back together. Haruhi watched the broken pieces on the floor with a defeated expression, her eyebrow twitching while I shrugged in a helpless gesture, letting out a small 'Oops' at her actions.  
"Aww, we were going to feature that vase in an upcoming school auction event" Thing one stated  
"You've done it now commoner's, the bidding on that vase was going to start at 8 million yen" Thing two continued  
"8 MILLION YEN!?" Haruhi screamed, her head hanging as she calculated how many thousands were in a million, her fingers twitching as she realised how much money it was.  
"I…guess we'll have to…pay you back?" I said slowly, glancing at Haruhi as she groaned at the thought, both of us knowing we couldn't.  
"With what money? You can't even afford a school uniform" Thing one and two exclaimed, speaking simultaneously as they also realised the hole in my plan.  
"What's with that grubby uniform you've got on anyway, Fujioka" Thing one stated  
"Yeah Kurone's is clearly just a cheap rip off of the wrong gender's uniform but yours just looks terrible, like you didn't even try" Thing two pitched in, causing me to roll my eyes, muttering like I'd ever wear or even copy those yellow monstrosities anyway, while Haruhi said that the jumper was her dad's and she couldn't find anything else that looked like a uniform.

"Well now, what do you think we should do, Tamaki?" Specs asked, picking up a piece of broken vase while Haruhi abruptly starting to freak out again, causing me to laugh at her hysterical act. For someone so smart, she really should calm down in situations like this, if she had, she might have actually used her brain and not dragged both of us into this mess. Prince Blondie sat down in his chair again, crossing his legs as pondered in thought.  
"There's a famous saying you two. When in Rome you should do as the Romans do" He proclaimed, reaching out his arm and pointing at us both dramatically. "Since you have no money you can pay with your bodies-"  
"Haruhi is he saying what I think he's saying?" I whispered quickly, wondering is being their personal sex slaves like some high class prostitutes was even legal.  
"-That means starting today, your to be the host club's dog" He finished, looking at us triumphantly.  
"Oh, phew! I thought for a second we…wait a minute, even this way, I'm still gonna be their bitch!" I mumbled, shaking my head, searching for a way out of this. While Haruhi literally froze, the colour drained from her face as she stared blankly, completing broken of spirit. The boy's surrounded us, me pouting as I quietly sulking about this, wondering how I'm going to break this to the band, while Haruhi stayed frozen to the spot. Paedophile bait poked Haruhi's arm and she fell to the floor and once again stayed there, still not reacting as if her mind was in another world. I sighed and forced a smile onto my face, realising there was no way out of this and decided to try and find a way to schedule school work, the band and being the host club's personal pet on my calendar. After all, it's not like I can do anything or these rich bastards with sue me for everything I owned and I would end up on the street, really being as poor as they act like I am. I picked Haruhi up, letting her lean on my shoulder, cheerfully stating to my new masters that their slaves would be here tomorrow after school to start paying back the money while Haruhi let out a solemn grunt as I limped out of the door, mine and Haruhi's height difference making it hard to carry her. I wasn't very tall yet, my height no bigger than 4ft 10" while Haruhi was clearly taller than 5ft.

When I finally got to the school gates, I flung her heavily onto the ground, the floor hitting her head harshly as she finally snapped her out of her daze. She looked up at me angrily, rubbing her head as she began to rise, but I simply stated I needed to catch the train now and I wasn't carrying her all the way to my house. Haruhi began to hyperventilate, starting to pace back and forth while mumbling that she can't do it, that she can't be trapped by these mysterious guys, saying they were part of some weird host club and-_SMACK_, I punched her arm lightly, my action done in a more friendly manner than a fierce one. It definitely got her attention. She stared at me in shock, surprised by my actions.  
"Hey, you really gotta calm down or you're going to have a heart attack or something…Well then...BYE!" I say, laughing as I began to walk away, wondering if I had missed the train. She gripped my sleeve.  
"Are you insane!? How are you so calm about this, did you not just hear them? We owe them_ 8 million yen_, that's 4 MILLION between us! How are you not freaking out right now…." She moaned, her grip on my sleeve slackening as she lost her will to fight completely. Not wanting to just leave her at the front of school in this state, I sighed and grabbed her on the shoulders, forcing her to look at me in the eye.  
"Look, you're the one who's reacting wrong here, OK? One, you're the one who knocked the vase, not me, and the only reason I got dragged into this is because I didn't run when I had the chance-But still I understand that I have no one to blame for that but myself or I would be beating you to a pulp right now. And two, Yes it is true we're now basically the Host Club's personal slaves, animal slaves at that, but what do you think storming and ranting about it is gonna do? We're just gonna have to deal with it until a better deal solution presents itself and since being concerned about it isn't gonna bring 8 million yen into my lap, I'm not gonna waste my energy trying. So start using that brain that is obviously smarter than mine and think this through logically! Why don't you go home, have a nice cup of tea, and stop worrying about this for no reason, the best thing to do now is spend some time with your love one's while you have the chance, and enjoy your last night as a free, independent woman, OK?" I finished, shaking her slightly for effect, before letting her go. Haruhi let my words sink in, looking at me strangely, mumbling that that was a weird motivational speech. But as weird as she thought it was, I must have said something right, as she finally snapped out of her miserable state.  
"I...guess you're right? There's nothing we can do about it now, I suppose." Haruhi admitted, "But that last part seemed a bit harsh don't you think? You're acting like we're about to be shipped off to another country because of human trafficking or something". I give her a small smile, telling her that we are being sold to a different country, it's called the land of the rich. She cracks a smile at that but I could still see the concern in her hazel eyes, her forehead creasing with worry. I slapped her back playfully, saying that although we live in opposite ends of town, we still get on the same train so I'd sit with her, since I'm feeling nice today. Haruhi accepted and we both sat in comfortable silence until our train stop came, then as we got off and she was about to walk away, I said-  
"Remember Haruhi, it could be worse. So just relax a little. I know it's hard for a smart ass like you who probably studies 24/7 but at least try, because tomorrow is going to be hectic." Haruhi gave me an encouraged smile, telling me she'd try before disappearing down the road, walking the opposite way to me. I walked down the adjacent road, replaying the chaotic events of today in my head and feeling quite worried about what was in store for me. Not wanting to let Haruhi know, I had tried to seem much more mature than I felt during the whole situation but thinking about it now, I was in some…_very deep shit_. I felt like punching everyone of those idiot's faces in and watch the rich bitches run screaming when they saw the scars, I wanted to strangle that nerd's neck, until the smugness was strangled straight out of his voice, I wanted to…I wanted to…go home and sleep, today tiring me out too much even for violent thoughts.

I finally got into my apartment, barely having the strength to open the door but somehow managing it, also throwing my shoes by the porch. I dragged my feet across the room, my actions sluggish as I flopped onto my bed, feeling my familiar duvet cover envelope my tired limbs, my mind feeling lighter as I drifted into the realm of dreams...that is, until I felt something cold and wet continuously nudging my cheek. Sighing, I cracked an eye open, seeing the furry face of a feline. I raised my arm to shove the intruder off my bed, but the stubborn cat refused to budge, meowing loudly as my fingers tried to grasp his supple white fur, a cinnamon spot covering his back and left paw.  
"Dammit George, I was sleeping just then...Sigh, I suppose it's my fault for not feeding you, I guess...But if you weren't such a greedy bastard, then you could last until tomorrow..." I mumbled, sitting up as he began to smack my face with his paw. As I poured his food, I looked at him, remembering a time when he wasn't so demanding...and fat. I hated pet's, having always thought that dirty, smelly and dependant animals were not good roommates. I would have got rid of this old cat if he wasn't the last known offspring of my mum's beloved cat, long been dead. He was the only cat that refused to behave and get adopted, my auntie threatening to drown him if I hadn't said I'd care for the demanding fluff ball out of consideration for my late mother and her love of animals. But by the time I fed the cat, had a bubble bath and changed into my Pajamas, all ready for bed…there was a frantic knocking on the door. I groaned, not in the mood to talk, but still I dragged myself to my feet and put on a happy smile as I opened the door, only to be met by three extremely furious girls, my band mates.

I forgot I was meant to go to practice and never bothered texting them that I was caught up with crazy flirting men trying to get me to do their every bidding for money...then again, texting them that reason might not have gone down well either...I carried on smiling though, greeting each of them cheerily.  
"Don't 'Hey!' us, where the hell have you been woman!? Bitch, we've been calling and texting you for hours…We thought you'd been kidnapped and was getting raped or something!" Rin screamed at me, furious about my actions. Rin had crossed her toned arms, her dark brown eyes lit up with annoyance, her cheeks reddened in anger. She wore a ripped cropped top, a belly button ring twinkling in the low light and a mini skirt hung low on her hip. Her jewellery consisted of chains and leather, masses of chains attached to her skirt and her arms loaded with leather bracelets. She always dressed like this, Rin's appearance adding to her reputation as the baddest bitch around, a troublemaker without a cause, who wouldn't pause before kicking your ass straight to hell…and she was the lead guitarist of my band…But luckily also one of my most loyal friends. Looking into her heavily made up eyes, her short, spiked and freshly dyed bright purple hair shaking from side to side in outrage, her large hoop earrings shaking dangerously...I would think I'm not getting out of this with just a slap to the wrists and a time-out.  
"Look, calm down, I can expla-_Argh_!" I cut off, as a felt someone crash into me, gripping me in a tight embrace. I stumbled back due to the force, and seeing the mass amount of brown locks that reached all the way to the small of her back, I knew it had to be Yuki, our bass player. She moved to look at me with those wide brown eyes of hers, the colour wavering as tears began to collect in her eyes.  
"Oh my god Ay-Ay, I was s-s-so sad when you didn't come, I th-th-thought that you'd forgotten about us while you were with all those rich girls…worried you'd have forgotten about your old friends in favour of more sophisticated ones..." She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks like she was a child. Even though she was a year younger than me, (and as you can tell) acted like she was 10 years younger than what she was, she still towered over my pathetic height, just as everyone else did. Right now, she clung to me like I was a rag doll, lifting me off the ground as she continued her bone crushing hug.  
"Ah…Mmm…Yuki that hurts…Stop it…I'm fine...stop crying!" I laughed breathlessly, trying to get out of her grasp. She eventually let me go when she was forcibly taken away from me and dragged back to the other two unhappy girls. "Thanks Yui…" I say, giving her a small smile. But Yui just gave me a disapproving gaze, a frown on her delicate features. She was a woman of few words, a quite shy and reserved individual, but her anger was probably just as strong as the others, fire blazing in her usually calm eyes. She reminded me of a worried mother, staring at me silently, knowing I would confess without her shouting at me, her gaze alone was enough. Seeing all of them now stare at me expectantly, I knew I had to tell the truth.  
"Look, the reason I was late is because I got caught up with some…problems at school and-"  
"Don't fucking lie to me, you found yourself some rich arm candy, didn't you? You probably went to his house for a bit of 'studying', huh? I bet you were too busy learning about each other's bodies to even call u-" Rin interrupted, pointing at me accusingly.  
"Let her finish" Yui stated calmly, gently pushing Rin's raised finger back down to her side.  
"-And well, now it seems I have no other choice but to join this club after school until the end of my high school life so-"  
"WAIT! Y-Y-You mean that you did it, didn't you? You joined the SCHOOL BAND!? How could you betray us like that, after all that we've been through-" Yuki began to scream, running up to me and shaking me back and forth, that is, until Yui came and pried her off of me once again, saying that I never said that, so don't jump to conclusions.  
"Look, all you need to know is that practice time must now be moved to 7, since I now have to go to this compulsory thing after school…OK? I'm sorry I didn't text you, this arrangement was every last minute and forced upon me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't go…but this is an engagement I can't miss." I explain, making sure not to mention anything about being a new pet to some cute rich creeps who are in a weird lady charming cult called a Host Club.

After being bombarded with more accusations that I was really covering up being a 'rich boy's whore' or 'a secret member of another band', I was cleared of all charges after Yui sent some sense into the idiots and I was finally free to go to bed, even though it was clear when they left I was not off the hook. They were still angry at me for not telling them sooner, but they weren't my mother, so they shouldn't act so worried about where I go and what I do without them. Besides, the only reason they were so angry was if something _had_ happened to me, they would have to find a new songwriter and lead singer, not because I'm one of their longest known friends. As I lay down in my bed, I had the day's events swirling around my thoughts, causing me to ask the good lord why I was surrounded by idiots…Between the band, the Host Club and the rest of the rich bitches in my class, I thought if it wasn't for Yui controlling the band and Haruhi in both the Host Club fiasco and some of my classes, I might have just died after dealing with all the stupidity in my life.

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **I would really love to know what you think of the descriptions of people's appearances, since that was something new for me :)

I thought I would introduce the band in this chapter, since you had just heard of them before. I also added the bit with the cat to give a little backstory about her parents...but don't worry we'll have more of that in later chapters, for now, you will next have more sarcasm, more self pity, more HOST CLUB BOYS! AS Haruhi and Ayane become the hosts bitches...I promise to update soon, so untill then :)

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_


	4. Dealing with Host Club shenanigans

"Where will you take me during the summer, Tamaki?" Love struck puppy #1 asked.  
"Why, Anywhere you want, Princess" Prince Blondi-I mean **Tamaki** whispered, pouring the girl some tea.  
"Umm...Tamaki? What's your favourite type of music? " Love struck puppy #2 inquired.  
"The one that reminds me of you, of course" Tamaki immediately replied, winking at the girl.  
"I baked you a cake today...Would you like some?" Love struck puppy #3 butted in, scooting her chair closer to his. Tamaki grabbed her chin and pulled her face closer to his, telling her 'Only if you feed me, my Darling'. I stifled another sound, I wasn't sure if I wanted to gag or giggle at the conversation, I mean, this is so ridiculous! Are they actually accepting this crap? What fool would really go all goo-goo eyed over something so cliché and painfully fake?  
"Oh wow, you're so dreamy!" The girl breathed, starting to, Errm... 'fangirl' in the corner, answering my question perfectly. I rolled my eyes, finding this situation much more tolerable than I thought, even if they are forcing me to do work, I was only assigned waitress duty which just means I just bring the horny girls their expensive (and probably imported) tea in their fancy tea set on a fancy tray, to put on a fancy table and...Well, you get the idea. It wasn't the worst thing I could have done, but as much as I enjoy watching what looks and sounds like a live re-enactment of scenes from an old cheesy 90's ROM-COM film, I would have preferred to have gone shopping with Haruhi. It's just not as much fun laughing at clueless idiots if you have to do it alone, you know?  
"May I have a word with you, Tamaki?" Another customer asked, carefully putting her empty teacup down. She was deemed, in my eyes, as one of the 'normal' customers who didn't have some sort of seizure after Tamaki so much as looks at them. She was someone who seemed quite dignified and composed like a rich lady should, even though the whole façade seemed really out-of-place in a Host Club. Then again, what kind of host club pours one thousand yen tea and sits on tables with a bouquet of roses centring their mahogany table imported from India? I would have much preferred a typical one with a bar, in a club, pouring drinks with an amazing DJ and Host men who seemed less...idiotic.

I let out a long sigh, gazing whimsically after the image of working at such a place appeared in my mind, before snapping out of it and bringing Tamaki his seventh tea-pot, wondering what it was that make this guy have so many customers compared to the others. Pouring the drinks, I listened in to the customer who was speaking, subtly of course. "-So I recently heard that the Host Club is keeping a little puppy and kitten without a pedigree"  
"Oh? Well I don't know about calling them that" Tamaki said, laying back into the chair and glancing at me as I walked around the table. "Oh speak of the devil, do you have another pot of tea for us, little piglet" He asked, wagging his finger at me like he was beckoning a dog. I hid my annoyance, setting the pot full of fresh tea down, a wide grin on my face.  
"You know, I think your customer had a better choice of nickname for me. I've been called a bitch way more than 'piglet' " I said light-heartedly, laughing softly. The girls around Tamaki started giggling nervously, looking at me hesitantly, not sure if they should laugh or not.  
"Hmm, I can definitely believe that." The girl said calmly, delicately lifting her newly filled tea-cup to her lips. Flashing a cheeky grin, I slowly laid a new cup on her saucer.  
"Woof, Woof" I exclaimed cheerfully, causing real laughter to circulate around the table, much to my relief. But as just as I was about to leave, I heard the calm girl speak again, muttering to the girls that she's surprised a mutt like me knows a few tricks from the pound, causing all the laughter to stop. They glanced at me worriedly, afraid I would do something, but I carried on smiling and laughing, causing everyone to relax once again. Quickly cleaning the table, I left hearing the sounds of fangirls swooning and cheesy pick up lines once again. But as I passed the sofa, I stared at the calm girl curiously, trying to figure out why she acted that way. She didn't react to my questioning gaze however, so I left the table with a confident stride, choosing to leave her behind me.

I walked straight into the kitchen, quickly stacking the dirty dishes. Once I saw the door swing shut, I lent against the kitchen counter, feeling my hands clench into fists.  
"Jeez, what's with her? I better warn Haruhi to watch that skank, she's purposefully being a rotten bitch about me being a 'commoner', unlike the other harmlessly clueless idiots around here." I muttered darkly, determination in my voice. Taking a deep breath and putting all the bad thoughts behind me with a happy façade, I ventured out into the Host Club room again, starting to genuinely smile when I saw Haruhi walk through the door, her hands full of a brown bulging shopping bag. As I walked towards her, I heard Tamaki speak up again  
"Oh. There's the little Lamb now!" He said, removing his arms that were wrapped around two of his customers. "Thanks for doing the shopping, did you get everything on the list?" He asked, winking at her with a pleased expression on his face. Haruhi gave an exasperated look, mumbling the words 'little Lamb' in a strained tone. I finally reached Haruhi, slapping her on the back lightly and telling her not to worry, a cute little lamb is much better than being called a dirty little piglet.  
"Perhaps this is just his way of differentiating his opinion of us?" I said to her, grinning widely. "He thinks you're an _innocent_ little Lamb while I'm just a _dirty_ pig" I smirked, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. She just looked at me like I was an idiot but I had accomplished my goal of snapping her out of her depression. Before she could reply however-  
"What_ is_ this?" Tamaki suddenly yelled, curiosity in his tone. Mine and Haruhi's heads snapped back, raising an eyebrow when we saw that he was only holding the 'Hescafe' instant coffee Haruhi must have just bought.  
"It's just what it looks like. It's coffee" Haruhi said, walking over to Tamaki and standing behind him.  
"I've never seen this brand before" He muttered, analysing the label curiously. "Is it the kind that's already ground?" Me and Haruhi just looked at each other in confusion, did he not understand what it was? I shrugged my shoulders and indicated to Haruhi to answer him, shaking my head at his ignorance. I had a feeling I would be doing a lot of that while I'm here.  
"What do you mean, it's just instant coffee" Haruhi tried to explain but the instant the word _'instant'_ left her mouth, the whole table abruptly became interested, treating the simple fact like it was the answer to the universe. The girls all tilted their head, muttering in confusion 'It's...instant?'. I rolled my eyes at their cluelessness and quietly laughed while Haruhi sighed in frustration, sounding much like an old Grandma.

"Woah, I've heard of this before!" Tamaki suddenly proclaimed, his eyes wide. "It's commoners coffee, you just add hot water!" I was about to say something, wondering how someone can be so awed by instant coffee, but the comment stayed lodged in my throat when I looked up to see 5 times more girls suddenly surrounding us, all so curious about something so simple. Perhaps instant coffee is just a 'commoner' thing?  
"I didn't even know there was such a thing" One girl mumbled,  
"So it's true then, poor people don't even have enough free time to ground their own coffee beans" Another girl stated.  
"Mmmhmmm" All the girls then agreed, nodding their heads at the same time. I raised an eyebrow at their comments, giving them a ludicrous expression at their unbelievable ignorance.  
"Errm, I don't think you guys fully understa-EH!?" I broke off, turning around to see even _more_ girls standing behind our sofa, even Thing one, two and Specs were gathering around to witness the wonder of 'Instant Coffee'  
"Commoners are pretty smart" Specs said, surprised, making me feel quite offended by the remark.  
"One hundred grams for 300 yen?" Thing one said in an amazed tone,  
"That's less than we normally pay" Thing two continued, in a more thoughtful voice.  
"Maybe it's because you all carelessly spend your money instead of checking the price tag first?" I pitched in, but my useful tip for life completely whizzed over their heads, ignored.  
"I'll go back and get something else" Haruhi sighed, agitated by all the attention "Excuse me for not buying you guys expensive coffee..." As she grumbled, I patted her on the back in mock sympathy and grinned cheekily, encouraging her by saying that she tried her best, earning me a glare from her.  
"NO!...I'll keep it" Tamaki all of a sudden yelled, raising his hand up in the air, in a fashion that reminded me much of a king in court, when they raise their hand to gather everyone's attention. This caused everyone to halt and look at him with suspicion as he stood up triumphantly. "...I'm going to give it a try" Those six words caused turmoil in the room, every rich mouth gaping open in complete shock as if he had just said he was a pregnant woman about to give birth to a panda named Gertrude. He raised the coffee jar into the air, striking a superhero pose (Complete with one hand on hip and other raised to the sky) as all the rich folk in the room stared at him in admiration and wonder, applauding his actions. I, however, preferred to look at him with disdain, not sure what the fuss is about, while Haruhi simply looked fatigued, probably by the stupidity radiating from the rich folk in the room. "Alright Haruhi, come over here and make us some of this commoners coffee. Ayane, get the tea cups so you can serve it once Haruhi is done" Tamaki demanded, earning him a 'are you serious?' look from both of us.

"Oh, Tamaki" A voice rose, earning mine and Haruhi's attention as she placed her teacup on her saucer with a clatter. She was the only one out of all the rich people who did not react once, she just kept calmly drinking her tea the whole time. "Now you're taking the joke too far, your palate won't be able to stomach that crap, you don't have to drink it just because **he** bought it" She said, her nasally voice full of arrogance, just like before. It was the bitchy one, who was rude to me last time. Haruhi, upon hearing her words, looked at her, making a questioning sound. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry" She said quietly, turning around to give Haruhi a friendly smile. "I was talking to myself".  
"Err..." Haruhi simply stared at her, befuddled. Before she could say anything though, Tamaki was calling her from across the room, asking for her assistance. "...I'm coming" She finally muttered in annoyance as she dragged herself over to him. I stared at the girl a few seconds longer though, seeing the spiteful look in her eye, before I too was called over to pour the 'amazing concoction'.

Haruhi made four cups of coffee, a crowd now gathering to watch her make it like it was a magic show, before I served it to Tamaki and the girls on a tray, giving an enthusiastic 'TA DA' as I gave four girls in the front row a cup each.  
"Let the tasting...BEGIN!" He exclaimed, his hands poised under his chin as his eyes sparkled with interest at the phenomenon before him.  
"I'm a little scared to drink this stuff" A girl confessed, carefully sniffing the drink in her hand.  
"I'm afraid if I drink this, my father will yell at me..." A second girl stated, her voice trailing off as she probably imagined the prospect coming true. Tamaki however, had other ideas. He leaped towards her, grabbing her by the waist and dipping her low like they were doing the tango, one of her legs raised high in the air. Once his face was close to hers, he moved one of his arms to softly caress her head, asking her if she would drink it from his mouth. The action brought all the girls around him into a squealing mess of raging hormones, all of them suddenly clambering for a taste. All of them started begging to be the one latched onto him as Tamaki smoothly calmed them down with his sweet words. Meanwhile, Me and Haruhi just stared at each other, giving each other that look we always seem to give when something like this happens. A look of disbelief at how clueless and stupid and ridiculous and foolish and downright dumb ass these bast...Ahem and how _silly_ these rich people were.  
"This is stupid" Haruhi voiced out what we were both thinking, looking at the scene with a weary gaze. I laughed, telling her that maybe this is more ridiculous than a Japanese game show, but we're still gonna be stuck here for a loooong time, so we best get used to it, after all, it's not like its even that bad. She gave me a 'Are you serious?' face at my final comment, not sure if I was being sarcastic or not.

I wrapped my arm around Haruhi's shoulder, taking her for a stroll around the room.  
"Look, it's like I said before, right? We may as well make the best out of our situation, and try to enjoy ourselves."  
"How can I enjoy myself when-"  
"Elementary, my dear Haruhi. You just force yourself to search deep into the working order of this place and once you truly fathom it, you'll find some sort of entertainment that's to your liking. Of course this _'Oh my god, Tamaki, marry me'_, _'Anything you want, Baby'_ Host Club malarkey isn't our sort of thing" I say, adding in my amazing impressions of Tamaki and a customer (Although Haruhi wasn't as impressed as I was). "BUT...I do find that choosing to laugh mercilessly at the customers stupidity as they fawn over the absolutely hilarious performances from these comedians does help pass the time" I finish, seeing Haruhi's Skeptical gaze return my humoured one. I had a mischievous sparkle in my eye as I told her to just watch, stopping her in front of the Twin's table, Thing One and Two starting their little show. Thing One was sitting in his chair with a one foot resting on the edge of the seat, the foot swinging casually as he laughed carelessly, a confident aura surrounding him. Thing Two however was sitting in the chair smartly, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees, looking nervous as he stared at his counterpart, a more timid aura on him.  
"-So he had this nightmare that made him bolt right out of bed" Thing One snickered, laughing at his brother's expense.  
"Hikaru! I asked you not to tell anyone that" Thing Two blurted, embarrassed. He shrunk into his chair, his finger brushing his bottom lip as it began to shake, tears gathering in his eyes. "Why are you so mean to me...".  
"I'm sorry Kaoru" Thing One-**Hikaru** stated, his voice low, his cheeky appearance vanished. I looked as the two customers held hands and leaned closer, gasping in anticipation. Hikaru pulled Thing Tw-I mean, **Kaoru**'s face close to his, so much so their lips were mere inches apart. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, but you were so adorable when it happened I had to tell them. I'm sorry"  
"I forgive you" Kaoru breathed out, his eyes shining as he stared at Hikaru intensely. The girls squealed in excitement, their face tomato red as they worked themselves up over what they dub as 'Brotherly Love'. I don't know what type of brothers they've seen in their rich lives, but normally, brother's don't act like that! And if they did, they would probably go straight to jail over some incest laws...  
"What are they so excited about?" Haruhi mumbled to me "I just don't get it"  
"Yeah...I don't get it either...makes you wonder what the world is coming to, don't it?" I said, shaking my head at it as I burst into a fit of laughter. "I've seen one of my friends go crazy for Yaoi before...Hell, even one of my other friends was into some incest anime...but **Twincest Yaoi** is something that is quite a...err, lets say, a _distinctive_ taste" I say, pausing in-between my sentences, still not quite sure whether to laugh at the act or vomit, seeing such a thing happen in real life compared to some anime is a completely different experience. Haruhi shook her head, telling me my sense of 'entertainment' was strange as she wandered off to another table, helping me with the tea rounds. Catching up to her, I told her I don't really judge people for their hobbies, because if I did, everyone would run screaming at some of the things I've seen.  
"I mean, Yaoi isn't something that gets my juices flowing but I've read my fair share of YURI" I admitted carelessly, not really bothered at all about anyone overhearing this quite loud conversation, never having been one to be modest or ashamed by both my actions or my words. Haruhi stopped walking to look at me curiously, asking innocently what Yuri was. I giggled at her cluelessness, explaining it was basically what they did but with girls instead, you know, Lesbian stuff. She nodded her head, asking why I liked something like that anyway. I said I didn't really like it, but it was something an old girlfriend of mine had introduced me to, explaining she liked the more hardcore stuff anyway, especially ones where the girl ties her down with rope and then she-I stopped talking when I saw her blank expression, her mind clearly full of pure thoughts. Not wanting to taint the poor girl, I patted her head softly and stated that maybe I'll tell her when she's older, earning me an angered glare from her.

But our little education lesson was cut short as two Host Club members finally showed up, interrupting our conversation. Tall, Dark and Silent walked in, his height causing me to end up in his shadow as he towered above everyone (Especially me). On his back was the little toddler from before and as TDAS carried him in the room piggy back style, the protective feel of an older brother surrounded him. Paedophile bait looked sleepy, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he mumbled softly.  
"_Yawn_...Sorry we're running late" He mumbled sleepily, TDAS walking towards the empty table full of the paedophiles that the little Blondie has baited, making me wonder if recording the next few hours for police evidence would be useful for the investigation later...  
"Hello Honey-Kun, Hey Mori-Kun" One girl greeted, waving them over.  
"We've been waiting here for you guys!"  
"Hi..." Various girls pitched in, all saying their different greetings to the little munchkin.  
"I'm sorry" He said, the worn out lisp in his voice replicating a sleepy child perfectly, much to my chagrin. "I was waiting for Takashi to finish his Kendo meeting and I fell asleep" He pouted, rubbing his eye slowly. "And I'm...still not completely awake". His large doe eyes were half closed, the blue orbs shimmering as tears stuck to his lashes, causing all the girls around him to blush profoundly. They screamed out 'so cute' as they shook with excitement, the small act by Paedoph-**Honey**-turned the somewhat calm girls into screeching Shotacons, dedicating their whole life to little boys and their funny little acts of cuteness. Meanwhile, TDAS-or **Mori** as he's known as- just sat down silently, watching the whole thing play out with a contented expression.

"Is that boy really a third year student?" Haruhi wondered aloud, looking at the table.  
"Honey-Senpai may seem young and childish, but he's really a prodigy" A voice called out, getting closer to us. I looked behind me to see Specs walking up to us. "And then Mori-Senpai's allure is his calm and quiet disposition." I looked at the folder he had been carrying all this time and wondered if he just wrote that into some promotional poster or something I had seen him writing this whole time.  
"Hmm...I suppose I could get behind that reasoning. A Woman's nature usually involves liking sweet and cute things like animals or children, so the prospect of having a boyfriend that is childish, naive and innocent brings out that maternal instinct in women and they would get infatuated by his actions. Since they also know that Honey is still technically old enough to do the things that only boyfriends, and not children, can do, they would be perfect companions to them...that's why Honey has so many customers, right?" I say, looking at Specs expectedly. Haruhi and Specs looked at me in surprise, probably wondering how I came out with something so intelligent.  
"...Errm" Haruhi began, looking at me strangely while Specs looked at me like he was trying to figure something out. I roll my eyes at her response and trying to keep the laughter out of my voice, I said.  
"What? I know I'm failing my academic classes but I'm not completely clueless about life, you know?" Finishing with the stupidest grin on my face. Our conversation was interrupted however as I heard the childish sing-song voice of Honey cut through our chit chat.

"HARU-CHAN! AYA-CHAN!" He screamed, running up to us and jumping onto Haruhi. He gripped her arm and spun her around, dragging her down with his weight. With Honey this close to me, I realised that although I kept calling him a kid and a munchkin, I was more or less the same height as him, only about an inch taller than him. "Hey Haru-Chan, you want to have some cake with me?" He asked excitedly, his face glowing as he stopped to stare expectedly at Haruhi, waiting for her answer.  
"Thanks...But I don't really...Like...Cake" She mumbled, her head rocking from side to side as she thrived to get over her sudden dizzy spell. I went up to her and flicked her in-between the eyes, saying I was just helping her after she slapped my hands away in irritation.  
"Then how about you and Aya-Chan play with Usa-Chan" He said, making me realise a soft pink bunny ear was sticking out from behind his back. "Look, Aya-Chan can hold it first" He said, practically shoving the pink monstrosity up my nose. I pushed the plushie away as Haruhi stated that bunnies weren't our type of thing, Honey confused by our refusal. He pouted, holding the pink bunny away from his body and towards us in a way that allowed me to get a clear view of Usa-Chan without it's stuffing halfway up my nostrils. "Are you saying you **don't** like Usa-Chan?" He cried in distress, his voice pleading. I saw Haruhi's face suddenly change as she moved closer to the stuffed animal, getting a better look of it. Haruhi give it a warm smile, her eyes revealing her fondness of the thing.  
"I guess he is kinda cute, huh?" She admitted softly, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her sudden change of heart. Shaking my head, I leaned towards the pink bunny, wondering what the fuss was all about. I poked it in it's tummy out of curiosity, seeing it's ears flap wildly at my action. I had to blink my eyes repeatedly when I thought I saw the thing blush at my touch, before shaking my head and standing up again.  
"I guess the thing does have it's own sort of appeal...quite cute in it's own sort of way, you know?" I say slowly, giving Honey a cheeky grin as I patted Usa-Chan on the head fondly. Honey looked at us both with a thoughtful gaze, like he had just figured something out, before it was quickly replaced by his standard clueless one again, like the whole exchange never happened. He throw the bunny into my arms, shouting over his shoulder to take good care of it for him as he bounded over to his table again and snuggled in-between two customers laps, laughing gleefully. As I delicately lifted the thing by one of it's ears and gave it to Haruhi (Explaining with a laugh I was never a good babysitter), I heard Specs begin to speak to us again.

"You'll notice that our club utilises each man's characteristics to cater to the desires of our guest, Ayane already gave us the reasoning behind Honey-Senpai's likeability, one of the many personalities showcased at the Host Club." He explained, nodding his head at me in acknowledgement. "And just so you know, Tamaki is number one around here, the king of the host club. His request rate is 70%". Haruhi looked at the king in question blankly, wondering aloud what the world was coming to, while I simply shrugged helplessly at the fact, telling her that some girls dream of having a blonde haired, fair skinned prince charming fawn over them and I guess Tamaki is the closest man for that role around here.  
"Although personally, I think he's better suited as the court jester" I chuckle, seeing Haruhi shake her head disappointingly at my joke, a small smile of amusement sneaking onto her face though. Our attention returned to Specs however, who was giving us a smug expression.  
"And in order for you both to pay off your 8 million yen debt with us; you will act as the Host Club's pet's until you graduate-Oh I'm sorry, I meant our _waitress_ and _errand boy_" He corrected himself, giving us a smirk as he saw me raise an eyebrow at his choice of words, Haruhi staring at him dejectedly. "You can both try to run away if you want to, but just so you know, my family employs a private police force of 100 officers " I felt a shiver run up my spine as I pictured that many men storming through my small apartment door, dragging me out of hiding to face the wrath of the boy before me. I watched him push his glasses up, a devilish smirk on his face as he asked us if we had a passport, cruelly warning us that he would make us leave the country if he had to. I made a mental note to keep on Spec's back, the first step to that was to stop referring to him as Specs and start calling him by his name, **Kyoya**. He reminded me of a cold business man, refusing to wear anything but suit and tie, with sleek black hair and presentable glasses perched on his nose. He clearly could get what he wanted not because he was spoilt like the other kids, but simply because he had that the intelligently determined aura of an evil villain from a Bond movie. He would get it by any means necessary, most if it involving this arrogant man to flaunt his power carelessly, intimidating anyone with his status and money. I was strangely turned on by the thought of Kyoya walking up to me, slamming me against the wall, and demand in a calm whisper to pay the debt by paying with my body, but I quickly shook the thought out of my head, not wanting to let my hormones blind me from the harsh reality that no matter now sexy the boy with glasses was, a steamy fantasy about the sadistic bastard was not going to help dig myself out of this immense debt.

"You're going to have to work hard to pay off that debt" A voice rose up from beside us "...My little songbird" the voice now recognised as Tamaki whispered, blowing into my ear. Shivering slightly at the sensation, I still scoffed at his effort to 'seduce me', telling him not to bother. He looked confused at my less than impressed reaction, saying that it was one of his best techniques.  
"Well then maybe you should learn some new ones" I advised, laughing at his insulted face. Meanwhile Haruhi had jumped a mile at his presence, praying under her breath that he wouldn't do that to her. I shook my head at her reaction, biting my lip to stop more laughter coming through over her reactions, finding them quite cute.  
"You need a makeover or no girl is going to look twice at you" Tamaki piped up again, choosing to talk to Haruhi in favour of me, walking to stand beside her.  
"Yeah, well, I'm not trying to get girls to look at me" Haruhi replied, her voice monotone.  
"Are you kidding me? It's the most important thing!" Tamaki gasped, his eyes wide. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from shouting to the idiot that Haruhi was a girl, a straight girl at that, but I had already discussed with her earlier about the misunderstanding and with her having been unbothered by it, I chose to stay out it completely. I saw him pick up a rose from a nearby vase, starting another one of his 'inspirational' speeches again, a hand on his heart. "You have to learn to be a gentleman and please the ladies...like me" He finished, giving a flirtatious grin.  
"I just don't think all that's important" Haruhi explained, causing Tamaki to frown with sadness, baffled by her response. "Why should I care about appearances and labels anyway, I mean all what matters is on the inside, right?" I grinned widely at her response, raising my fist into the air righteously and yelling at her to preach dear woman, speak the truth! Haruhi gave me a scornful gaze, not finding my maturity quite at her level yet, before continuing to say, "I don't even understand why a club like this even exists anyway". I wrapped my arms around her shoulder comfortingly, telling her I ask myself that question everyday, a serious edge to my tone.  
"It's a cruel reality, isn't it?" Tamaki continued, completely oblivious to the important message Haruhi had just said, causing Haruhi to give him an irked look and me to roll my eyes. "It's not often that God creates a perfect person like moi; Beautiful on the inside and out," He began, striking supermodel poses as if to prove his point.  
"Is he serious? Since when is an idiot like him beautiful on the_ inside_?" I whispered to Haruhi, rolling my eyes at his description of himself while Haruhi just looked confused as to how this conversation started to turn into a confidence boost for himself.  
"I understand how you feel since not everyone is as blessed as I am, but you must console yourself or how else would you go on...And think about this, Haruhi, why do you think people put works of art in museums? Because beauty should be shared with the world! And those born more beautiful should be shared with people, that's why I made this club in the first place..." He droned on, making dramatic arm gestures the whole time. It made me feel like I was watching a mime perform, just, you know, minus the silent part. In fact, he was more of the complete opposite of a mime...but at least his idiotic movements gave me great amusement, even if his words didn't mean anything significant.

"There's a word to describe people like him..." Haruhi mumbled to herself, deep in thought. I glanced at her, wondering where she was going with this as I tried to drown out Tamaki's speech. "...What is it?".  
"How about narcissistic? Or egoistic...maybe arrogant or vain?...stupid Bastard?" I pitched in, trying to help, but earned nothing but a 'please shut up' look from her. In the meantime, Tamaki was still twittering on about 'beauty'-  
"...I did it for those who are starved for beauty, working day and night, pursuing beauty! And although you seem a bit rough around the edges and don't have the naturally beautiful characteristics, I've chosen to share my expertise with you..."  
"Oh man, I wish I could remember that word" Haruhi continued, thinking deeply. I screwed my face up in concentration too, also thinking of the right word to describe that guy.  
"...Here's a tip, extend your pinky as a cushion, and that way, when you set it down you won't be making a lot of noise. This is because gentleman do not make loud sounds and this way is much more refined than most. I like to check my appearance in the glass as well..."  
"Err...Maybe...A pain in the neck? No, There's something that fits him perfectly..." Haruhi wondered aloud, even more determined to describe this complex boy in one word. I suggested pest, or maybe a nuisance, but as she said, I thought there was a better description for him, the whole thing frustrating me to no end.  
"But above all else, you must remember how effective a glance from the side can be" Tamaki prattled on, walking over to us and demonstrating it on me. I briefly glanced at him, about to just laugh in his face but Haruhi finally figured out the right word. She slammed her fist in her palm, saying out loud she's got it, catching Tamaki's attention.  
"Obnoxious!" Haruhi firmly clarified, Causing Tamaki to freeze, a cold and deeply hurt aura washing over him. I smirked devilously and putting my arm around Haruhi, said-  
"Oh I don't know Haruhi, he seems more like an _annoying dork_ to me, since we really shouldn't sugar coat his ignorance." This pushed Tamaki over the edge, making him begin to radiate with depression as he curled up and sulked in the corner, the space around him becoming dark and bleak to match his mood. Haruhi blinked in bewilderment, not realising he would be so offended by our opinion, even if she had been a little forward with it. I however was rolling my eyes at his dramatic reaction, biting my cheek to stop myself from laughing hysterically at the clown.  
"Err, I'm sorry Tamaki-Senpai..." Haruhi apologised awkwardly, not sure what to say.  
"I'm not, I'm just saying what I thought about the idio-" I broke off as Haruhi gave me a scolding expression, telling me not to make it worse as I replied with a sheepish laugh. We then looked up to see the twins, who had casually been walking past us, had stopped to roar wildly with laughter at what just took place, the boys leaning on our head heavily as they snorted with amusement.  
"Ha ha ha, you're hero all right!" Hikaru exclaimed, ruffling my head.  
"There aren't many people who could hurt him that bad!" Kaoru agreed, patting Haruhi's hair.  
"I'm sorry Senpai, but your lesson did strike a small chord in me" Haruhi said, trying to amend her mistake, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.  
Silently, Tamaki calmly stood up and for a moment, I thought he would burst into tears, but it seemed Haruhi's words had reached him.

He made his signature pose (His thumb and index finger resting on his chin, a charming smile spread across his cheeks), a twinkle of life now in his previously dull eyes.  
"Really, it did? Then let me teach you more, my friend" He confirmed, holding his hand out invitingly. Haruhi curiously said he got over that quick, while I simultaneously agreed wholeheartedly, saying he's so easily offended but can definitely bounce back pretty quick. This fact about him was mentally noted as I thought that his personality might be useful to me to manipulate him out of me doing my work.  
"Boss?" Kaoru asked cautiously not sure what he was thinking.  
"Call me King" Tamaki proudly demanded.  
"You can teach him all the basics of hosting" Kaoru began,  
"But he's not going to get very far with the ladies if he doesn't look the part, you know" Hikaru finished, doing that stereotypical 'Twins finish each others sentences' thing you always see on TV. "He's not exactly Host Club material but maybe if we took off his glasses it would help" Hikaru said, starting to take off Haruhi's glasses.  
"Hey I need those!" Haruhi shouted, flapping her hands around nervously, "I used to have contacts but I lost them on the first day of school" As Haruhi said this, I noticed the twins eyes widen as they looked at Haruhi, shocked at something they saw, but what it was, I couldn't say. Suddenly I heard a rumbling of hurried footsteps as Tamaki rushed over, pushing the twins out of the way as he scrutinised Haruhi's appearance closely. Then, coming to some sort of conclusion in his mind, he snapped his fingers and began to order out a list of demands to the Host Club.

"Hikaru, Kaoru." Tamaki stated, not giving them any details, but it seemed the twins knew exactly what to do  
"Got it!" They yelled, giving him a salute, before grabbing both of Haruhi's hands and dragging her into the changing rooms. This worried me slightly as they didn't realise Haruhi was a girl and I was nervous they would find out in a way Haruhi _wouldn't_ want. As I ran to the changing room curtains to catch up with them, I heard Tamaki continue to give orders.  
"Kyoya. Hair stylist" Causing Kyoya to text frantically on his phone, presumably getting the Hair stylist.  
"Mori-Senpai go to the eye doctor and get him some glasses" This made Mori sprint out of the room quickly as if he was in some sort of marathon.  
"What about me Tama-Chan!" Honey asked excitedly, jumping in front of Tamaki with an ecstatic expression on his face.  
"Honey-Senpai-"  
"Yes Sir!" Honey yelled, his face glowing with anticipation.  
"You...go have some cake" He said distractedly, waving him away as he walked off. This caused Honey's mood to darken as he sat down at a little table with an assortment of cakes, the shining happiness from his eyes gone as he sulked.  
"It's just us, Usa-Chan." He mumbled sadly, stuffing frosting into his mouth, chewing sadly. "Everyone else said they were too busy..." Meanwhile, I was trying to slip into the curtain but was being blocked off by Tamaki, who was calling my efforts to save Haruhi from embarrassment as "Perverted".  
"Excuse me?" I said, raising an eyebrow at his assumption. Maybe I was a little perverted for my age but that doesn't mean he could just fling that word in my face when I hadn't even said anything.  
"I know it must be hard for a commoner to find beautiful boys since poor boys can't afford the products...But going as far as to try and peep on your friend while the twins are trying to change him into their expensive attire is a very degrading, perverted and sneaky thing to do" He explained, giving me a condescending look.  
"..." I had nothing to say to that, his stupidity leaving me at a lack for words, too shocked at how much of an idiot he was being. I looked behind him, blocking out his nonsense about how to become 'a lady' as I strived to hear what was going on behind the curtain.  
"Here, change into this uniform" I heard the twins demand.  
"What? B-B-But why!?-" Haruhi began,  
"Don't ask questions!" I gasped in surprise as I heard them run and jump into the air, presumably landing on Haruhi as I deciphered their heavy footsteps.  
"NO, WAIT! PLEASE! ALRIGHT, I'LL CHANGE BUT YOU TWO HAVE TO **GET OUT!**" I heard Haruhi shout as the twins continued to chant 'Change, Change, Change' over and over. After hearing a lot of crashes and ruckus from the room, I saw the twins finally get thrown out and stumble around on one foot as they tried to stay upright. Sighing in relief at Haruhi **not** being molested by the twins, I saw them look at each other in realisation as they figured out Haruhi's actions. A mischievous look on my face, I walked over to them and slapped them on the back heartily so they lost their balance and fell down. I saw them rub their back and look at me angrily from their new position on the floor, but I simply flashed them a smirk and stated cheerfully 'It took you idiots long enough to realise', before walking off to Honey's table. I happily whistled as I realised that while they were all busy giving Haruhi a make over, I could slack off work for the rest of the day.

I sat down and picked up a piece of lemon cake, that looked more expensive than my whole outfit, before ungraciously cramming it into my mouth, moaning with delight as the moist pastry hit my senses. Honey looked up at me with astoundment, asking curiously why I was here as I said earlier I didn't like cake.  
"Mmm...Well, I...Still don't really...Ah...Like sweet things...But since my new bosses are busy and all...I thought...Mmm...Ayane, why don't you just do nothing for the rest of the day?...and so...Mmm...I'm here now" I explained, still stuffing more of the sweet substance into my mouth as I spoke. Honey thought for a second, before beaming brightly and saying that I could play with him now! I nodded my head happily, thinking dealing with this big kid was better (And much more relaxing) than dealing with the other blonde idiot who had mysteriously disappeared, much to my gratitude. As I spend the better part of two hours talking to Honey as we ate expensive deserts with Usa-Chan, I let the thought of Haruhi's fate go to the back of my mind, I mean, it can't be that bad, right?

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **I would really love to know what you think of how I described their movements and stuff, did you imagine it all right?

I thought we would have a bit of Host Club interaction with Ayane and Haruhi, so I could figure out how they would react together, and I think I did an Ok job, what do you think? As the story goes on, I think I'll have more one-on-one with Ayane and the boys, as well as Haruhi with the boys. But I also think I'll focus on Ayane's and Haruhi's relationship, since I can see them developing into really close friends throughout the story, and they will go over to each others houses and stuff to moan about the host club boys and reveal things only one girl can reveal to another. I also think that Haruhi will be the one to learn about Ayane's backstory and her life, and that the boys will slowing learn about it as they get closer to the girls, even if they learn before Ayane is ready...

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_


	5. Night at Haruhi's leads to some bonding

"Ahh..." Honey sighed, his head resting lazily against the table, a large stack of empty plates besides him. After eating about 20 pieces of cake, Honey had finally been satisfied, so stuffed he could hardly move. I rolled my eyes, muttering he** was** just like a child;eating and eating until he's so full he could fall asleep. I still disliked kids and defiantly still had mixed feelings about Honey, but I couldn't deny that he didn't look cute at the moment, especially with that contented look on his face. Looking back on the past two hours as well, I suppose being his babysitter hadn't been so bad either, he seemed like a fun and bubbly person-if you could look past the _annoying_ parts of his child-like nature. As I stretched my muscles, yawning profoundly, I looked outside the large glass window and saw that the sky had turned a deep shade of apricot, the main school clock striking half past 5.  
"Errm, Senpai?" Haruhi mumbled uncomfortably, still behind the curtain in the changing room.  
"Aren't you done yet?" Tamaki asked impatiently, tapping his foot. I gave a small smile, groaning as I pried myself out of the chair and walked over to the curtain. Just as I was about to open the curtain (ignoring Tamaki's warning about becoming a peeping tom), the curtain was slowly pushed open from the other side as Haruhi finally revealed herself.

"Are you sure it's really OK to keep this uniform?" Haruhi questioned, wearing the 300,000 yen Ouran High School male uniform. She wore straight black trousers and a pale blue blazer, under which was a white shirt and black Windsor-knotted silk tie, accented by a narrow purple band running vertically down its centre length. A Ouran Academy seal was sewn onto the left breast of her blazer and her new black socks and loafers completed the uniform perfectly. She looked so..._different_. Her hair was cut so it actually had some style to it, instead of just being a short brown mop of hair and her contacts showed off her large doe eyes nicely, the colour gleaming with life. I smiled widely at her, telling her she cleans up real nice, unable to keep the light dusting of red off my cheeks at seeing her like this. Tamaki however, took this reveal of Haruhi's refreshing new look to the next level, overreacting as he began to squeal uncontrollably.  
"How CUTE!" He shrieked "You're as pretty as a girl, adorable!"  
"Haru-Chan you look so cute!" Honey exclaimed.  
"If we'd known that's how you really looked" Hikaru began,  
"We would've helped you sooner" Kaoru finished.  
"Who knows" Kyoya thought aloud, "Maybe he'll draw in some customers?" Haruhi was immune to the mountain of compliments however, focusing intently on fixing her tie correctly, clearly not sure how to do it. I slapped her hands away and fixed it for her, telling her in a teasing tone that not knowing how to tie a tie isn't good wife material. Her reaction was silent, only giving me an irritated look as I continued to give her a cheeky grin. But our cute 'couple' moment was interrupted as Tamaki scooted himself in-between us.  
"You know, that's what I was just thinking" Tamaki said, causing me to look at him questioningly, was he talking about what I said, or what Kyoya said? Pointing his finger at Haruhi, he elaborated. "The errand boy is moving up the ranks! Starting today, he is an official member of the host club. I will personally train you to be a first class host and if you can get 100 customers to be in your service, we will completely forget about your half of the 8 million yen debt"  
"A HOST!?" Haruhi mumbled ludicrously, discouraged by the new job. Meanwhile, Tamaki's words were resounding through my mind, '_Your half_ of the 8 million yen debt...YOUR HALF of the 8 million yen debt...**Your half** of the 8 million yen debt!?' Did that mean that while Haruhi is sitting and drinking tea, not to mention flirting with woman to pay off her debt, I'll still be stuck waiting hand and foot for these shitty rich kids?  
I wrapped my arms around Haruhi's shoulder casually, flashing the boys my most flirtatious smile as I asked them with a wink why I can't get a promotion as well. The boys looked at me in silence as they slowly figured out what I was implying, before bursting into loud fits of laughter, their roars filling the once silent room quickly. I raised my eyebrow as they laughed in my face, not understanding why the prospect was so humorous. Tamaki's amusement finally died down and wiping the tears out of his eyes, explained to me why my plan was so stupid.  
"Don't be ridiculous Ayane, how can a_ girl_ be a host for _girls. _That would never work" Tamaki scolded me, shaking his head. I sighed, not even bothering to explain how he was contradicting himself, preferring to _not_ ruin Haruhi's chance of a better job and a good promotion.

After a few more moments to laugh at my idea, me and Haruhi left the Host Club to go home, Haruhi still in her brand new uniform. Haruhi chose to spend our cherished time on the train to complain about her 'terrible' predicament and how she would rather do chores than do what they do. I leant back in my chair, my arms resting behind my head as I listened silently, the only indication of my involvement in the conversation was a rare nod of acknowledgement to her words. Once she finally finished her rant, I looked at her intently, sitting up and rolling my eyes, preparing her for my comeback.  
"Look Haruhi, you're a nice girl and all, but you really sound like a whiny bitch sometimes." I admit with a grin, causing Haruhi to stare at me with wide eyes. "So...why don't you start thinking about this for a minute, OK? You're going to get to do something straight out of my dreams; sitting around rich junk, doing whatever you like, while being surrounded by cute girls who are fawning over you as you shamelessly flirt with them...instead of being those shitty kids slaves for the rest of your high school life! I'm sure you're smart enough to realise the better choice, even if the first one isn't really for you" I had continued with a light-hearted tone, flashing her an amused expression to show I wasn't really trying to chew her ear off with my rant and was only half serious. She looked at her lap, her expression thoughtful as she considered my words of wisdom. Finally making a decision, she looked at me with a weary look in her eye before admitting that she guesses that she _did_ get the better end of the deal. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, a 'Duh' sound escaping my mouth.

As the train stopped and we scampered out of the busy station, Haruhi finally expressed what was on her mind.  
"Can I really pull off 100 people though?" Haruhi questioned, more to herself than me. I rolled my eyes again, slapping her arm playfully.  
"Are you an idiot? Honestly, I think you could pull 200 and pay my amount of the money as well" I laughed, while Haruhi looked at me with doubt, muttering she's never flirted with people before, especially woman. "Yeah, well, I've flirted with my fair share of ladies, some of them not even straight, but you don't seem like the flirty type of girl so I don't think any of my tips will help you here."  
"What do you propose I do then?"  
"Simple Haruhi, as cliché as it sounds, I think just being yourself will keep the ladies swarming." I advised, winking at her. She still seemed unsure so I sighed and decided to pull out the big guns, using my last resort of inspiration for her. "Look Haruhi, I think your underestimating yourself here, you're a very pretty girl, and I think your down-to-earth type of personality is what makes you such a nice person to be around...I mean look at me, Sure I've known you for a while now but I fell for your charms almost a week in." Haruhi's eyes went wide as I revealed the last part, her face dumbfounded.  
"...Huh?". I roll my eyes, and wrapping my arms around her, I shook my head and told her she wouldn't understand, not until she's older, laughing as her face showed her realisation of the meaning to my words, Haruhi's blush becoming more prominent as she realised the deeper meaning to my words.  
"A-A-Ayane...I-I mean me, a-a-and you-"  
"Geez Haruhi, calm down, I'm not actually asking you out or anything!" I giggled, walking her down the road. "I'm only your friend, Ok, that's all I want to be...All I'm saying is that if you need help with this hosting problem, I'm willing to help you if you're struggling. I mean, we're in the same boat anyway and if I have to ride along the crazy waves of the Host Club, then I might as well have a friend on the S.S rich kids slave to help paddle through, you know?". We shared a laugh, smiling at each other warmly, fully appreciating each other as the only other 'commoner' at school, wondering how friendless and depressed we would be if we had to deal with these spoilt brats on our own. Once we got to the cross roads where we usually part, I hesitated.  
"Hey Haruhi!" I called out, causing her to turn around. "I don't suppose you need a little help with your preparation for tomorrow...right **_now_**, do you?". She blinked a few times, nodding her head as she signalled for me to join her, unfazed by my sudden change of plans. She questioned if I was OK missing practice, but I told her band practice was cancelled today and since I had no food in the house, I thought I would pinch a free meal from my _good _and_ oh so kind_ friend Haruhi (Giving her my best puppy dog eyes). This caused Haruhi to sigh, muttering that she knew there was another reason I was so eager to go home with her, causing me to laugh at her irked expression.  
"Don't be silly Haruhi, if you'd learned anything from my not-too-impressive confession, it's that's I _adore_ hanging out with you." I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around her in a friendly manner. "Why do you think I keep you around, my dear waifu? I need you for the important things in life I suck at-like cook meals." She shook her head at me, muttering about me just using her as replied that 'I still care for you deeply though, you are like the wife I've always wanted, which is why I'm asking you to** make me a sandwich, Bitch!**'

* * *

Turns out I had a better time at Haruhi's than I originally planned, we even _did_ start acting like husband and wife-but not on purpose, of course. When we got back, I got scolded by Haruhi who was saying that I was lazy for slouching around while she had to cook for more people now, while I moaned that I had a hard day at school and was bad at cooking anyway. She then began to clean the living room, causing me to call her over to relax and snuggle on the couch with me, even offering to give her a massage, much to her chagrin. Then as we were arguing over the TV remote (I wanted to watch Jersey Shore but Haruhi complained that she didn't really want to watch stupid American shows, even though 2 minutes prior she said 'I don't really ever watch TV so I don't mind what we watch'), Haruhi's dad decided to make an appearance and interrupt our little fight by coming home from work.

He was overjoyed at Haruhi bringing one of her 'little girlfriends home', while I just loudly stated that Haruhi had a more interesting life than I thought, I mean, who really has a **gay transvestite** as a dad? After conversing with the woMAN a while, I really had taken a liking to Ranka, who was the most interesting and wacky dad I had ever met. We gossiped for ages, leading me to find out about Haruhi's deceased mother, after asking him how Haruhi happened if he was gay, causing me to be informed that before Haruhi's mother died, he was bisexual, like me. It was only after his mother died he vowed to never love a woman again and became fully homosexual. He spoke fondly of Haruhi's mother and proudly showed off his photo album of pictures of the woman, who I warmly stated was a beautiful woman like Haruhi, even though it was clear out of the parents who had the most beauty (Causing Ranka to reward me with a bone crushing hug and verbal approval of me being allowed to marry Haruhi, which I gladly agreed to, grinning cheekily at Haruhi's angered face due to the sudden marriage arrangement).

After Haruhi stormed off, me and Ranka then began to gossip incessantly as he told me of this friends-with-benefits guy he brings home while Haruhi is at school, while I told him about my first ever love, a girl I dated in the last year of middle school. We were interrupted by Haruhi though, who not-so-subtly told me it was time to leave, much to mine and Ranka's disappointment. The sad mood was lifted almost immediately however as we looked outside and noticed the heavy rain and the increasingly approaching storm coming in, leading me to be pressured by Ranka to stay the night. After a call to Rin to make me a bag to get ready for school at Haruhi's, which she would bring over on the way to her own school in the morning, I settled down at the Fujioka residence. While Ranka, acting in a very Tamaki fashion, squealed that he was so happy Haruhi was having her first girly sleepover and that we could do each other's make-up, have a pillow fight, talk about boys-Haruhi quickly interrupted him and told him she had homework to do, crushing his spirits. Not really the type of girl to do that either, I dampened his mood further by cheerfully saying those were all stupid things to do anyway. The rest of the night, after Haruhi studied and I played some calming music on my guitar (finding a way to also study for my music class without bothering her) our friendship strengthened as we discovered each other's fears.

* * *

_"Hey, Hey Haruhi, are you okay?" I asked as Haruhi darted under her covers, other roll of thunder piercing the room.  
__"Y-Y-Y-Yeah I-I'm fine, W-W-Why do you a-a-ask?" She stuttered, the outline of her crouched body under the covers shaking considerably. I sigh, wondering why she was still trying to hide her obvious fear. I shuffled my feet awkwardly, not sure how to deal with the situation. Eventually, I got up determinately, sitting on the bed beside her frightened state, patting her back gently. When she asked what I was doing, I laughed awkwardly, saying I was just coming over to say hello to my good friend Haruhi of course, which just earned me a strange look from her. I sighed in frustration, unsure what to do as I sat there scratching the back of my head uncomfortably. I eventually blurted out that she should just try to think of something else other than the lightening, something that is dear to her and she cherishes-like that one piece of cheesecake you you've been saving in the fridge for ages, so she can try to block out her fear. After a few moments of silence, Haruhi slowly slide out from her hiding spot and looked at me, her eyes watery with salty tears as she flinched at the sound of even more thunder echoing around the room. I smiled widely, hiding my nervousness at being stuck in this situation, but it didn't help her mood at all. I quickly squished my hesitation and spontaneously hugged her, chuckling quietly at Haruhi's embarrassed gasp of protest, whispering to her that if she talks about the thing she loves out loud, she can drown out the sounds of thunder as well...like maybe her amazing friend Ayane?_

_"O-O-OK then..." She took in a deep breath, before deciding to talk about how Ranka and her mother, 'Kotoko', met...and not me. "Mom met Dad while he was working as a bartender and he also provided the winning testimony in her first court case...D-D-Dad fell in love after witnessing her talent as a lawyer and b-b-broke off his affair with a married man to be with her...At first, Mom found him to be annoying, but their relationship developed after he saved her from an enraged person in a public park...Mom was flattered that he cared so much about her safety and Dad was further smitten when it turned out that Mom could've easily defended herself with her karate skills...T-T-They began dating when she w-w-was 25 and he w-w-was 19...Their wedding was described by my family as a "shotgun wedding" because many friends and family members disapproved of their romance..." By the time she had finished, her breathing had slowed down and although she was still clearly unsettled, she was considerably calmer than she was before. I smiled, saying out loud that she must really love her Mom to talk of her so fondly, Haruhi agreeing with me wholeheartedly. As we shared the small, single bed, Haruhi eventually voiced out her embarrassment of the situation.  
__"Don't be silly Haruhi, no matter how logical someone is, it's not impossible to have an irrational fear at hand to push your level-headedness aside" I muttered tiredly, giggling softly at her embarrassment of me finding this out, discovering yet another cute quirk about Haruhi to cherish. "I mean, look at me, you saw how I was when the lights suddenly went out and the power first went. I clung to you like a little girl and was practically in tears, shaking like a little puppy. I only got off you and stopped panicking when you promised not to leave the room...To think, even at this age I'm still afraid of the dark-It's laughable!"  
__"It doesn't matter how old you are, Ayane, I-I-It's like you said, it's an irrational fear" Haruhi firmly told me, still staring at me with those tear-filled eyes, even more embarrassed at the situation."...Besides, I'm used to being alone, you know, I can deal with my fear on my own" As she said this, I felt her sit up in the bed, as if to move.  
__"Maybe you can-But I'm sure can't" I mumbled as I reached out to grab her pyjama sleeve, Haruhi pausing her efforts, surprised. "Why do you think I'm fine now, huh? I'm only afraid of two known things Haruhi; One is the **dark**, and the second is **being alone**. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how I'll react to dealing with both at the same time." As I admitted my darkest fear, Haruhi looked at me with those doe-eyes of hers, unblinking and deep in thought.  
__"You're afraid of being...alone?"  
__"Yeah, I guess. I don't like being by myself, I like filled rooms full of talking and laughter, I get kinda panicked if I'm alone for too long, which I think is why I refuse to get rid of my cat and let her sleep on my bed. Living alone with my mentality is not the best idea..." As I trailed off, not wanting to bore her with my therapist-like talk of my fear, a shriek escaped Haruhi because of the lightening illuminating the room as she slowly went to lay in the bed once more, stating that she won't leave me alone then, while I laughed and teasingly said that she's definitely only staying for **my** benefit only...It was probably a strange sight, two grown girls huddling in bed for comfort, one afraid of storms and the other afraid of the dark. But even so, I was glad I could comfort Haruhi, I was always very awkward and useless at emotional confrontations, which was why I always used my best weapon, laughter and humour. It seemed my trying to make a big joke of the situation worked great for Haruhi, who listened to my stupid stories about the crazy times I had with the band, like that one time with the monkey in a tutu stealing my hat at the zoo..._

We fell asleep hand in hand that night, much like little children would, our second 'couple' moment of the week being painfully interrupted by her screeching alarm clock, her father still asleep as he only worked night shifts. When I had snuck into his room for a hairbrush, I was unsettled by how womanly he still looked without the wig and makeup, making me much more conscience of my own looks than I should of been when you consider I was comparing myself to a grown man in his 30's...But I was only truly ready for school after Rin, who practically throw my stuff into my face and swiftly left with a pleasant 'See you at 7, bitch', gave me my bag of school stuff so I was finally ready to leave. As we walked through school entrance, I settled Haruhi's worries about her new after school job, saying she technically had the whole day to prepare for her first Host Club Hosting Duties, going our separate ways as I began a plan to somehow find a way to get me promoted as well...'

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **I would really love to know what you think of my flashback, the overall view of the sleepover and Haruhi's parent meeting?

I thought Ayane should have a close bonding moment with Haruhi, and since helping each other deal with their fears seemed appropriate, I used Haruhi's fear to my advantage. Did you like the way I wrote it? Do you like Ayane's fears? I was unsure if I should do this sort of intimate friend scene early on since I haven't had many chapters of them being friends for very long, but if you noticed in this chapter when she admits to liking Haruhi for a while, it has already been a whole school year so they are in their second year now and know each other a lot better, even if they aren't close friends in the sense they have been to each other's houses and learned everything about each other yet.

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_


	6. Pranking Bitch, Cross dressing and me?

"Everyone!" Tamaki announced "We'll try the peasants Ramen today!" Me and Haruhi looked at each other, sighing in exasperation at realising that 'trying the poor people's food' will now be a common occurrence. I watched as the Host Club boy's crowded around a kitchen counter (That had mysteriously been installed in the room in between yesterday and today) and looked at the packets of Ramen with curiosity. "Everyone, try to make a different type of Ramen!" At Tamaki's request, the boys began to work: The twins shouted a confident 'Yes Sir!' as they picked out their respective flavours, Honey was staring excitedly at a packet in his hand, happily cheering as he got the flavour he wanted. Kyoya was staring intently at the packaging in Honey's hand, analysing the instructions on the back with an inquisitive stare while Mori was...Just standing there? I don't think Mori does much...But even so, he seems like the sort of guy that leads a double life and when we're not looking, he probably does something amazing and better than what we could ever imagine (Reminds you of a certain platypus, doesn't it?). "Right then, Follow both teacher's instructions" Tamaki kept chirping in our ears, forcing me and Haruhi to teach these group of hopeful students to...cook some instant noodles?

As Haruhi was calmly teaching the boy's about cooking the Ramen, I was loudly complaining that the boy's were idiots for not figuring it out by themselves, personal chefs at home or not, accidentally causing Honey to cry at my outburst. Seeing my panicked face, Mori came over and tried to give Honey Usa-Chan, looking at me like I was a demon or something and had just attempted to steal poor Honey's soul. I sighed and flashing a huge grin, ran over and grabbed Usa-Chan out of Mori's hand, dangling it teasingly in front of Honey myself. Honey looked up at me with tear-filled eyes, a pout on his face.  
"Geez you're such a baby sometimes, you know?" I said, rolling my eyes and flicking his forehead jokingly. Honey cried out in protest and Mori would have just ran to his side if I hadn't blocked him by moving around Honey. With my attention on Honey, I told him that if he really wants to prove me wrong then he better stop crying and get cooking! Honey froze at my words, the gears in his head turning. Eventually, he wiped the tears out of his eyes and replaced his sad face with a stubborn one, yelling he would. As he reached out for Usa-Chan to join him, I tutted and said if he wants Usa-Chan back then he would have to make me the yummiest meal of Ramen in the room, until then, Me and Usa-Chan are going to be spending _a lot_ of time together. He looked like he was about to cry for a moment, before swiftly skipping off to make the noodles with the help of Haruhi, eyebrows knotted with determination. Mori had stood behind me the whole time, looking at the scene with a surprised expression, not sure whether to scold me or not. I walked up to him, throwing Usa-Chan at him and telling him that he better close his mouth, or else he's gonna eat flies.  
"You shouldn't spoil him too much, even if he_ is_ a rich brat" I finally said, causing Mori to look at me with more confusion. "If everyone is gonna treat him like a child, then fine, but that big kid can't just cry and expect people to pander to him at every minute, that's not how I roll...Even if he likes acting like a **kid** that doesn't mean treat him like a **baby**, you know?" With those final words, I walked away to join Haruhi as I designated myself the official taste tester in the room. Mori stayed silent but the realisation on his face at my actions was enough for me. God, since when do I have to teach silent man-nannies how to raise their already-an-adult-but-still-a-little-kid-kid?

As I walked over to the cooking section of the room, I heard the boys pondering over the simplest steps.  
"Do I have to throw away the hot water once I've-"  
"But Mustard-Mayo stings my eyes!"  
"There's hot water for three minutes and four minutes" I raised an eyebrow at that, why would that make a difference? All the water's the same, right?  
"So...How's the lesson going, Oh great master of the noodle?" I said jokingly to Haruhi, observing the mess the boy's were making.  
"Please don't call me that..." Haruhi muttered, in a bad mood. I giggled and whispered to her that at least this is prolonging the time before you have to host, which shut Haruhi up instantly. As we talked, Mori silently walked over to us.  
"...My ingredients are stuck to the lid..." Mori mumbled, causing me and Haruhi to look at him in wonder. As Haruhi explained you have to put the ingredients below in the beginning, I not-so-quietly yelled in awe that the giant spoke, he really spoke! He tore his gaze from Haruhi to stare at me silently, so I just slapped his arm playfully and exclaimed to Mori that I was starting to think he was mute or something, my reply nothing but silence again. His lack of an answer made me wonder if he even spoke in the first place or if it was just some sort of hallucination. But my thoughts were interrupted by Tamaki's obnoxious shouting.  
"WOW! What an AMAZING technique!...A peasants technique...No, a peasants theory..." Tamaki babbled, holding Haruhi's face in both hands before asking, "You are wonderful! May I express this feeling with my body?"  
"Please don't..." Haruhi mumbled, rather uncomfortable at the thought. Meanwhile, I was laughing hysterically at the offer, wondering what kind of guy would ask that so bluntly over something so minuscule? Well, clearly a guy like Tamaki...Perhaps I should go see if Kyoya will give me that same offer? I mean, I needed to talk to him about something important anyway...

The day came and went, it seemed the boy's were so enthusiastic about cooking Ramen that Haruhi didn't get time to try out her Hosting skills and Haruhi wasn't exactly complaining about that. Honey got his stupid bunny back after giving not one, but three bowls of Ramen to me, all my favourite flavour of _chilli shrimp._ As I ate the first bowl, I gave him a thumbs up, causing him to jump up and down in happiness at my approval and hug me proudly. I just shoved him off and told him to watch I don't spill the Ramen but eventually rolled my eyes and gave in, telling Mori he could have the damn pink fluff ball back since he earned it. As he and Mori left, Honey catching a ride on his back, Mori looked at me and gave me a small smile and nod of acknowledgement as if my not-so-nice action of bullying Honey into making me food by holding his bunny for ransom had actually done something, something I wasn't sure I would understand.

When I walked home with Haruhi, two bowls of Ramen tucked safely in a plastic bag for later, Haruhi told me that as Mori and Honey were leaving, Honey said that he liked me and Mori nodded in agreement. I just shrugged my shoulders, telling her I'm not bothered if the babysitter and the shortie liked me but I do appreciate the food though! As we laughed, I briefly wondered if my passing comment about Honey **had** actually helped Mori realise something and if the different way I treat Honey compared to everyone else had made Honey appreciate me more...But I didn't dwell on it much, knowing I had band practice that day.

* * *

The next day, Haruhi had no other choice but to host. The moment we walked in, me in the middle of explaining the plot to Game Of Thrones (censoring the sex scenes for the innocent girl), she was swiftly taken from my side by the twins and directed to a table of her own where three desperate girls waited patiently for their man to fawn over. The instant Haruhi saw the girls she looked at me with a panicked gaze, mouthing the words 'Help me!'. I simply smiled and waved at her before going to the kitchen to fetch the pots of tea, hiding my laughter at her crushed expression.

By the time I came out the kitchen, the girls had already started their bombardment of questions for the poor gir-I mean 'boy'.  
"So tell me Haruhi, do you have any hobbies?" A short haired asked "What do you like to do?"  
"I'm curious," The girl with long hair wondered, "What kind of products do you use on your skin?"  
"Yes It's so pretty!" The third girl piped up, leaning eagerly towards Haruhi for the answer. Haruhi smiled but even I could tell from this distance it was forced and painful, her eyes telling me her mind was working frantically to find something to say, her hesitant expression peaking through.  
"So why did you join the Host Club, Haruhi?" The girls asked together, waiting for her answer. Haruhi began to answer about the vase but stopped herself in time, knowing she couldn't just blurt that out for all to know. I could see the girls losing interest, frowning and starting to fidget. Realising that Haruhi was failing her job and losing customers, I decided to swoop in to save the day.  
"Well, It was my idea, to be honest with you girls..." I pretended to admit as I walked over to the table, much to Haruhi's relief.  
"...Huh?" The girls turned to look at me, confused. "Why would you suggest this for Haruhi?..."  
"Well actually..." I laughed, glancing at Haruhi with a mischievous glint in my eye "You see, me and Haruhi are really close friends now, even though we weren't friends in middle school...It was only after we found something similar about our_ tragic_ past that we really connected..." I decided to finish with something dramatic, trying to draw the girls in. It worked perfectly. The girls gasped, looking between me and Haruhi with wide eyes while Haruhi stared at me in shock, letting a 'what are you talking about' escape her mouth.  
"It's OK Haruhi, you don't have to hide it, these girls can know" I said, hiding my laughter at her worried expression. Then, when the girls weren't looking, I whispered in Haruhi's ear that all she has to do is get 100 customers to request her and they'll forget about her debt, and I know the best way to do that...Pull at their heart strings. Haruhi's eyes widened at my train of thought and when she looked at my eyes, she knew exactly what I meant. "You see girls, When I was born, my mother didn't recover from the birth and unfortunately died..." I admitted, my little confession making the girls lean towards us in anticipation to know the rest, holding their breaths in horror. "So I was never really close to girls since I grew up around men, always having rough and tumble boys to hang out with and never really one for emotions...But when I met Haruhi, I realised he was so much sweeter and kinder than any other boy I had ever met, so compassionate and caring to me..." I continued, glancing at Haruhi with a melancholic stare. Knowing I had the girls hooked, I decided to finish with a flourish. "And through our close friendship, I grew an even stronger bond to him after I found out that Haruhi has lived a similar childhood, her own mother also...tragically passed away as well..." I finished, looking at Haruhi with loving eyes, tears gathering at the corner of them. Although my feelings and this story was genuine, I admit my acting skills did come in handy at getting the strong emotion on my face right, it true I was never a sappy sort of person. The girls however were shamelessly in tears at the story, exclaiming respectfully that we were both so strong for going through that.  
"Hey, Hey now, it's Ok..." I gave her a warm smile as I gently caressed the cheek of one of the girls. "Your face is much prettier without the tears, don't you think?" Causing her to blush lightly, her eyes flashing with confusion as she probably experienced her first flirting from a girl and the mixed feelings that usually came with it. Haruhi looked at me worriedly, asking me with her eyes if I was really OK admitting this, knowing that although she was fine telling everyone about her Mom, she knew I wasn't very open about my childhood and even she only knew about this after I found out about _her_ Mom. I just grinned at her, whispering to her that I'm fine with telling them if it helps make the money vanish. I thought that they're like fish in a tank, easily hooked.

While Haruhi still had their attention, I nudged her and glanced at the empty cup the short haired girl had. After a moment of confusion, Haruhi got what I was implying and went to work. She tilted her head, glancing to her from the side and asking her if she wants it refilled, causing the simple girl to blush lightly and answer in an awed whisper. I heard a second girl ask for her's to be filled too and that's when Haruhi began to smoothly get into things.  
"I see, your mother was sick and died from her illness ten years ago" The second girl wistfully said, "Who does the chores around the house then?"  
"Oh, I do them myself, my mother taught me. She was an amazing cook and when she went to the hospital she left me some great recipes." As Haruhi said this, the girls looked like they were about to cry again, their eyes wide as she recalled the memory. "It was fun to create each dish, especially when they turned out well. It also makes me happy to see my dad enjoy it. Like Ayane said, I also had a hard childhood, but me and dad have managed to make it through OK." She finished, her face solemn. I wrapped my arms around her chest and rested my head on her shoulder, teasingly telling her that my friendship makes your adolescent years awesome too, which Haruhi agreed to with an exasperated tone. As me and Haruhi moved so we were facing each other, now holding hands as we started to have another moment (This time in the presence of fawning girls), I didn't mind when they interrupted us with their parting words.  
"So, Erm-  
"It is Ok if-"  
"T-T-Tomorrow-"  
"We request to sit with you again?" The three girls stuttered out the broken sentences, their love struck puppy dog eyes giving Haruhi all the confidence she needed to reply with 'Erm, sure ladies, I'd really appreciate that'. Knowing my work there was done, I got up to leave, only to be stopped by the girls, who also had something to say to me.  
"Wait! A-A-Ayane, I was wondering-"  
"If you weren't busy waitressing and all-"  
"If you could-"  
"Stay with us and your dear...Erm, _**friend**..._Haruhi?" I looked at them in surprise, glancing at Haruhi with hesitation, wondering what I had done to unexpectedly make the fangirls want me as well? Realising the way they looked between Haruhi and me, I guessed it had something to do with making us their OTP (one true pairing) or something. Either that or the boys were wrong and they enjoyed a little girl on girl action...Maybe it was a bit of both? Wanting to test out my theory, I laughed and answered with a wide grin, saying to them that only if Haruhi wants me to, because I would gladly do **anything** for her, giving her a wink. The girls sighed dreamily, blushes on all their cheeks, causing me to grin evilly. If these girls want me to help fuel their fantasies by Hosting with Haruhi, that means that I can find a way to get rid of my debt easier as well. Giving the girl who spoke a quick peck on the cheek (Laughing when she squealed with happiness) and a wink to the others, I excused myself and skipped happily over to Kyoya and the twins.

That had huddled up behind the couch Tamaki was peeking out to watch us from, frantically whispering about what had just took place.  
"Why is he so popular?" Tamaki whined from behind the chair, pouting a little. He was probably jealous at how quickly Haruhi got the hang of it.  
"He's a natural" Kyoya answered, writing on his clipboard.  
"No training needed" The twins pitched in as they watched her from their squatted positions. Once I made my way over there, I agreed with them, wiping an imaginary tear from my eye as I told them in mock pride that my little Haruhi's growing up. They turned to me, Tamaki wondering aloud why the girls had taken a liking to me as well, saying girls usually don't like girls that are personally close to them in any way, the prospect of a Host boy having a potential girlfriend makes them jealous and lose interest of the Host.  
"It just makes no sense..." Tamaki muttered, shaking his head.  
"That is normally true, but Ayane did start a very compelling backstory like Haruhi to gain interest, so maybe they enjoy her company more than we think?...Or perhaps because of Ayane's openness about her attraction to the same sex, they have no worries about her being their competition so they don't mind her being around?" Kyoya muttered, scribbling down notes into his notebook. I just rolled my eyes, telling him not everything can just be explained away with your smarts, especially when it comes to a woman's heart...Or their ridiculous fantasies.  
"If you want my opinion, I think they just want to fulfil that common female fantasy of having both a lesbian and a guy all over you at the same time, or perhaps that more graphic fantasy of having a threesome with them..." I trailed off, grinning as they gave me a disgusted gaze. "What? Just because these girls are 'refined rich _**ladies**_' doesn't mean they don't have an actively sexy imagination too!" I laughed as the twins slowly nodded their head, muttering something about sex-crazed deviants are always the least suspecting ones, me pointing out that Mori's quiet nature makes sure you never truly know what he's thinking...

"Tamaki, have you forgotten about me?" The pompous voice of that bitch piped up, interrupting our conversation. That comment instantly broke Tamaki's concentration on us as he turned on his Hostly charms once again and answered with perfect execution.  
"Oh No! Sorry Princess." He exclaimed, flicking his hair to the side in a Bieber-style fashion. "I'm just a little concerned for our newest host, especially since our little redhead is flirting around."  
"Well that's obvious Tamaki, you sure have been keeping an eye on him" She sneered, smirking that evil grin of hers, making my insides lurch.  
"Of course I have to, I'm training him to be a gentleman like me." The girls giggled at his answer, fawning over him like the bunch of dumb fangirls they are. Tamaki clicked his fingers loudly, catching the attention of Haruhi and her table, ceasing the commotion on her table instantly as he indicated that he wanted Haruhi. She walked over quickly asking 'What's up?', knowing it wouldn't be something mature and logical since it was Tamaki that was calling her.  
"I'd like you to meet someone" He explained, "This is my regular guest, Princess Ayanokoji" Haruhi eyes flashed with recognition as she remembered her previous not-too-pleasant encounter with her, forcing a smile as she told her it was nice to meet her, knowing she was lying through her teeth. Tamaki was a blur as he suddenly leapt up and pulled Haruhi into a bone crushing hug, spinning her wildly.  
"That was so cute!" He yelled, his face red as he blushed at her charming face, Princess bitch looking at the scene in utter confusion...Just like me. "You are very good, super good, Amazingly go~od!" Sighing at his overreaction, I reached out to pull Haruhi away, only to get caught in the spin and hop foolishly on one leg as I was forced to keep up with the motion, my legs eventually lifting off the ground as my height made it difficult to keep up.

"Mori-Senpai, HELP ME!" Haruhi and me screamed as she reached out in his direction, me thrown across the room as I was flung out of the hug, landing on the floor with a thud. As I lifted myself into a sitting position, rubbing my head with a groan, I saw through blurred vision as Mori's expression rapidly changed from our words. He ran quick as a whip, gripping Haruhi under the arms and raised her up and away from Tamaki the molester. I saw his eyes widen as he noticed something about Haruhi, but what it was, I didn't know. The scene turned awkward very quickly as Tamaki looked at Mori in shock at what he did, Mori indifferent as always. Me and Haruhi was looking at Mori with a 'What the Hell just happened' gaze.  
"...Mori-Senpai?" Tamaki quietly piped up, his arms still hung in the air, lacking Haruhi's body in-between them. "You really didn't have to go that far..."  
"Wow, how romantic, this is just like a scene from those cheesy romance flicks when the mysterious and silent lead saves the damsel in distress" I pointed out, laughing at the absurdness of the scene, wincing as a flash of pain shot up my side, where I fell. Mori ears practically pricked up at the sound, gently dropping Haruhi and rushing to my side as well. He slowly lifted me up off the ground, not a word spoken to me but I could tell he was asking if I was Ok with his eyes. I grinned widely, telling him I'm a big girl, I can handle a little spin attack from Tamaki the Pokemonster over there. He looked unsure but still nodded his head, scanning me over once more before dropping me back to the floor again. I gave him a big grin and a thumbs up to show I was fine, teasing him by saying he had better protect the real damsel in distress over there because Tamaki looks like he's going for it again.

I gripped his arm as I dragged him over to Haruhi, watching her and Tamaki fight again. He complied instantly, probably used to being dragged around by Shorties due to Honey anyway.  
"Come on little one, let Daddy give you a big hug!" Tamaki suggested, staring at her enticingly.  
"I've already got a Dad, I don't need another one" Haruhi cried out in exasperation, making me shout out he meant he wants to be your 'Sugar Daddy'. As we continued our teasing, I couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching us, loathing us with a burning passion...Watching the scene with the most terrible, jealous-ridden gaze...

* * *

Later on, when the sky had turned a coral shade of red, me and Haruhi noticed something strange had happened to our stuff.  
"Come on Haruhi, you ready to go yet?" I called out, telling her to hurry. Because of her successful first day as a Host, I decided to treat her to a special lunch at the fanciest place in town, Wcdonalds. What? I didn't say I had a lot of money, so Wcdonalds really is the fanciest place on **my** budget...  
"Yeah, I'm coming. I just need to get my-Hey, what happened to my bag?" I turned as I saw Haruhi slowly walk up to the window, disbelieve on her face. "Huh? Are you kidding me!?" She cried out, causing me to rush over to her, seeing for myself what had got her so worked up.  
"I found your bag, Haruhi..." I joked weakly, glancing out the window to see that both the bag and the contents had been cruelly dumped into the nearby pond, now floating across the water contently.  
"How did this happen? I didn't think there were bullies in school..."  
"Haruhi, bullies are everywhere, no matter how pristine and perfect the rich students seem. The only difference is that the students here probably pay professional tricksters to do their dirty work." I answer in reply, grabbing her hand and guiding her down towards the exit as I brightly told her I'd help her so we can get it done quicker and go eat-I was starving.  
"Let me just grab my blazer real quick and- _OW!_" I suddenly cried, quickly pulling my jacket off me as I tried in vain to rub the sore spot that stretched across the centre of my back. When I finally brushed my fingers against the wound, my fingers came away spotted with blood. As I cursed loudly, Haruhi gingerly lifted my jacket up to reveal a row of marking pins stuck across the collar of my jacket, put there to intentionally scratch me. Once I had finished my rant, I took a deep breath and sighed, telling Haruhi we better go get her stuff and leave before we slip on a diamond encrusted banana peel or something.  
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the nurse?" Haruhi asked as we walked down the hall, but I just shrugged off the injury and said I've had worse battle scars. As we sped down the hall, we passed that bitch from before. When she called out to us, we forced ourselves to slow down, not in the mood to chat with her. Or at least, Haruhi paused, I would have just carried on walking if she didn't grab my sleeve to stop me, muttering at me not to be rude.  
"I bet you love getting a makeover and having Tamaki fawning over you" She said, her back still facing us. "It's useless though, no matter how much you play dress-up, you're still going to be a second class citizen" Once she finished, she swiftly walked off, Haruhi frozen to the spot at her words. I, however, wasn't taking that.  
"Haha, Yeah and no matter how much money your daddy has, you're still going to be a first class Bitch!" I called out, seeing one last flick of her hair as she angrily turned the corner and disappeared from my sight. I linked my arm with Haruhi's as I told her that she's just the rotten crotch-fruit of a rich prick anyway, so delirious with jealousy she has to bully us to feel more important to that idiot Tamaki.

Once we made it to the pond, Haruhi rolled up her trouser legs and blazer sleeves. She went to work, searching urgently as her wallet was somewhere in the mess and it had her food money for the week in it. I, not bothered by ruining my already blood stained shirt anyway, just jumped straight in and let my trousers and shirt get soaked. I had a feeling that rich people water won't smell like pond water anyway, thinking I'll probably come out smelling like Chanel 5 or something. I turned to see a exquisite statue in the water, it was one those expensive marble ones that look like a baby boy peeing, not a single scratch or weather-worn dent in sight. Covering the actual lake were lily pads floating beautifully across the crystal water, the sight quite a pretty one regardless of the situation. But it was the lily pads that made me wonder if there were any...  
"I found it!" I Declared, jumping up and down, splashing the water.  
"You found my wallet?"  
"No silly, I found a frog! Look at him, he's a real ugly fellow isn't he" I muttered, holding the thing up by one of it's legs, seeing it's slimy skin up close. Haruhi just gave me a disappointed look, sighing in frustration at my lack of urgency before telling me to either help or leave. I threw the thing back in the pond, pouting as I went to look for her wallet again, sticking my tongue out at her back.  
"I can still see you, you know" Haruhi warned, making me pull my tongue back in my mouth instantly. But that stern stare didn't stop me from splashing her, my target her butt.  
"Whoops, my hand slipped" I said, giving her a helpless shrug, grinning cheekily. She looked furious but I still saw a glimmer of a smile on her face, giving me hope that my goal of cheering her up was working.

"Hey, commoners" A voice rose up from behind us. We straightened our backs as we turned to see Tamaki and Kyoya behind us, realising that Tamaki was the one that spoke. "You've got some nerve skipping on the club like that"  
"Yes, I'm sure you know that cleaning up after Hosting ends is part of your job, Ayane" Kyoya added, fixing his glasses to get a closer look at my sodden state.  
"...Why is your stuff all wet?" Tamaki asked Haruhi, glancing at the dripping books and satchel we had collected and left at the pond's edge.  
"Mmm, Ayane, why are you not wearing your blazer...And more importantly, why do you have blood on the back of your shirt?" Kyoya asked me, indicating to my soaked shirt with the pen in his hand.  
"Oh, I, err, dropped my bag in here and I need to find my wallet." Haruhi muttered, making me annoyed that she was protecting the bitch. "I-I-It's no big deal, we got it"  
"Yeah, I stupidly jumped straight after it trying to be the hero, but ended up scratching my back on the statue and making things worse" I grinned, laughing my injury off even though it still stung. I even cleaned the wounds prior to my little dip in the pond but nothing could stop the throbbing from such a scratch, that bitch might have laced the pins with poison for all I knew! Tamaki pondered our answer for a moment and as we turned our back once again to search for it, we were surprised to hear a splash. We glanced to our side to see Tamaki, with his sleeve and trousers rolled up, _helping_ us look in the water.

"Hey, you don't have to do that, you'll get wet" Haruhi tried to stop him but Tamaki just replied that a little water never hurt anyone.  
"Just let him do it Haruhi, you know what they say...A man with dripping good looks is even better dripping with water" I laugh, earning a an arrogant smirk from Tamaki as he vainly agreed with me. Haruhi just stood there in surprise, her face showing she was trying to figure him out and just hadn't quite gotten there yet. "Hey Kyoya, you not gonna join the party?"  
"No thanks, I'm not as accustomed to pond dipping as you are" He muttered, donning his usual secretive smirk, a million secrets in every curve and wrinkle in his mouth. I rolled my eyes, moving to the edge of the pond and eventually getting out beside him, my bare feet the only part of me still in the water, dangling leisurely. "Well hopefully, if our deal about tomorrow goes well, we might just get much more accustomed to each others tastes" I whispered to him, giving him a flirtatious wink. He just smirked and said that I needed to remember this was a **_business_** deal and nothing else. "Yeah, but friends made in the business industry are friends for lif-"  
"Is this what you're looking for" Tamaki said, dangling Haruhi's wallet between his slender hands, giving her a friendly wink. He waded across the pond to her side, asking her what the matter was "You're staring into space...Your not falling for me, are you?" He teased, shaking the wallet in front of her. Haruhi gave him an absolute 'No way!' and snatched the wallet from his clutches, a scowl on her face. His smiling face suddenly changed. "How did you manage to drop your bag into here anyway?"  
"Oh...Errm, I guess I must have just dropped it from the club window up there" Haruhi mumbled awkwardly, not the most convincing lie she could have told.  
"Oh, that reminds me, can you tell me why you have pins stuck to the inside of your blazer?" Kyoya suddenly asked me, holding up the evidence with the tip of his pen, dangling it for all to see. I replied smoothly that I had home economics class today and we had sewing, so I must had accidentally got some on my blazer earlier. "Hmm, interesting, because I have a copy of your timetable here and it clearly says you don't have that till tomorrow" Kyoya replied, equally as smooth, not one ounce of him giving away a trace of doubt of who was lying.  
"Geez Kyoya, stalkers and creeps don't get a lot of friends, you know!" I teased, snatching the paper out of his hand and throwing it into the pond,grinning widely at the brief shock in his eyes, before he got his composure back.  
"You're a very...Ahem, _interesting_...character, Ayane, It's much harder to keep up with you than others" He mumbled, looking at me like I was some sort of puzzle he had to solve. Knowing that he would be frustrated if I make the challenge harder, I give him a friendly slap on the back and said-  
"Well then, Kyoya, challenge accepted, we'll see just how long a brain box like you, can figure out an oddball like me." An evil smirk on my face. "But I'll warn ya', this minds as complex as a rubix cube and you're trying to solve while you're colour blind!"

I grabbed Haruhi and made a dash for it, waving a quick goodbye to the guys. Knowing it's useless to grab some food now, you know, being all wet and all, I told Haruhi she can come to my place to sort herself out instead. Then, if she wishes, can come to my band practice and see me in action. But as I was leaving, I glanced up at the window 'Haruhi' dropped her bag from and saw the silhouette of a female student up there, watching us. It didn't take a genius to know who it was.

* * *

_**The next day...**_

"Oh Really? That must have been terrible" That two-faced slut gasped in mock surprise. "I can't imagine what I'd do if my bag fell into the pond". I was supposed to be busy going over my big surprise for later on in the Host Club today with Kyoya, permitted to be off waitressing duty by him. I still decided to stick close to Haruhi though, not trusting this bully for a second. I smiled sweetly at her (knowing how to hide my true feelings of a person very well), but I could feel Haruhi's tension in her body as she sat with her, both of us knowing that rich bitch hates us, especially Haruhi. I knew the moment I heard she requested Haruhi she had planned something, I was just waiting for it to happen. "And you actually made Tamaki search in that dirty pond with you both, how astonishing! You do realise he's a blue blood and not a commoner, right?"  
"And I hope you realise that you have _poison_ in your blood and you're really the princess of _bitchiness_, right?" I muttered quietly, my voice sickly sweet as I made sure she heard me. She turned to me, glaring at me furiously. "What did you say to me?"  
"I said I hope you realise that you have no sugar in your tea and that black tea is bad for your _perfect_ blood, right? A princess of _beauty_ shouldn't put up with that" I say, my voice as smooth as honey as I refilled her cup.  
"The only reason he's paying attention to you is because he's trying to turn you into a gentlemen and he's interested with your new background and lifestyle" She turned back to Haruhi after those words, who was looking at her in surprise. "Don't think he likes you because he's doting on you" She finished, her elbows resting on the table as she gave us a satisfied smirk.  
"...Now I understand" Haruhi finally piped up, staring at her with confidence. "You're Jealous of me." Her blunt words cut through that bitch like an old kitchen knife.  
"You've only just figured this out? This crazy bitch has been following Tamaki like she was his prized poodle or something, wagging her tail when praised and giving him those puppy dog eyes for attention...And she called me the helpless mutt!" I giggle, rolling my eyes at Haruhi's cluelessness. We quickly brought our attention to the prized poodle however once we saw the stone cold hatred in that girls eyes, her face twisting with an ugly rage that built up until her cheeks were hot with anger. I guess some people can't take honesty, no matter how brutal Haruhi and me-well, mostly me-were.

Then before we had even blinked, she swiped her leg under the table, catching the wooden leg and jumping out of her seat, causing Haruhi to stand up in defence as the table was knocked over, china and the vase of flowers crashing to the floor. I cried out as I was once again flung into harm's way, slicing one of my palms on a broken tea cup. I was distracted by my throbbing pain however as Princess poodle screamed loudly, catching everyone's attention. I looked to see Haruhi had fallen on her and seemingly looked like she had deliberately pinned her down, likely that fault of that bitch more than anything.  
"No Haruhi, LEAVE ME ALONE!" She cried out angrily, the torn petals of the wrecked flowers still cascading down on all three of us. "No, stop, please, SOMEBODY HELP ME, HE ATTACKED ME!" Haruhi just froze, dumbfounded as to what to do, the other customers around us gaping at the scene, hesitant to do something. "Somebody save me and TEACH THIS COMMONER A LESSON!-" She was immediately cut off as two hands came out of nowhere and splashed two (cold) jugs of water on her head. It was the twins. Haruhi looked up at them, even more confused. I however, burst out into laughter, seeing her in the form of a drowned rat was hilarious! I was the one to finally break the awkward silence in the room, as well as the tension. It seemed the second I giggled so did the other girls, teetering with an unsure but slowly more confident chuckle at the scene, making princess bitch-a-lot further embarrassed.  
"Why would you do that?" She asked, turning her nose up at them in a snooty fashion, _tsking _angrily when I got up and gave the twins a massive grin and a thumbs up at the job. The twins looked indifferent to the action, not even looking at her, making me think they were now 20% cooler than when I first met them. She suddenly turned to glare at me.  
"I bet it was YOU, wasn't it!?" She screamed at me, pointing an accusing finger in my face. "I bet you planned for this all to happen because you're jealous of my riches and beauty. I thought I saw you conspiring with Haruhi before. I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, JUST YOU WATCH COMMONER, YOU'LL BE LEFT WITHOUT EVEN ONE YEN BY THE END OF THIS!"

It was then that Tamaki came over, offering his hand to help her up. Her posture changed considerably when Tamaki was in view. She shook like a little kitten lost in the rain, leaning on him as if the whole ordeal was too much for her to even bare her own weight. I rolled my eyes.  
"Do something Tamaki, Haruhi just assaulted me...And Ayane laughed at me." She gasped weakly, whining like a child. Tamaki gently wiped the wet strands of hair from her face, his face expressionless.  
"I'm disappointed in you, you threw his bag in the pond, didn't you" Tamaki stated, his voice blunt and lacking his usual dramatics. I had never seen Tamaki so serious...It was unnerving.  
"Y-Y-You don't know that, you don't have any proof so-"  
"Did you think we didn't know about it?" Kyoya suddenly butt in , holding up a set of sheets. "Please don't look down on our information network. Of course, we have evidence on the _other_ issue as well." He added, nodding in my direction. Me and Haruhi just sat there, fixed to the ground, watching the scene play out with awe plastered on our face.  
"You know you're a beautiful girl," Tamaki sighed sadly, cupping his hand around her chin and lifting her head so they were staring at each other. "But you aren't classy enough to be our guest, Dear." At Tamaki's words I shamelessly let out a shout of agreement, sticking my tongue out at the bitch and flipping her the finger. This all was too much for her, tears gathered in her eyes as she looked around the room, scrambling to find some sort of sympathy for her and being met with none. Honey crouched behind Mori's legs in fear, shouting that this lady was scary like a demon, while Mori stated deeply she's an ugly person, not talking about her looks. Even the twins just shrugged at each other, the whole incident now boring and they wanted to move on to something different, as if they were flicking through channels and came across drama shows or something. Even the customers stared at her in shock and disgust, disgraced by her actions. Some even huddled together in fright.  
"If there's one thing I know...It's that Haruhi is not that kind of a man" Tamaki stated, staring at her coldly. I wrapped my arms protectively around Haruhi (Who was still glued to the floor), glaring daggers at the skank, nodding my head passionately at his words.  
"Yes, and I'm sure Ayane isn't the evil scheming, manipulative wench you make her out to be, in fact, she is fondly considered a great part of the host club by most of the customers...As well as the Host Club." Kyoya added, fixing his glasses so that an evil glint reflected off of one of the lenses, giving him a menacing look. The bitch fully wept tears now, bawling like a spoiled toddler who didn't get her lollipop. She fled from the room quickly, realising she was unwanted by everyone here, crying out hotly 'TAMAKI, YOU'RE AN IDIOT!' before slamming the door loudly.

"We have that kind of customer, every so often," Hikaru stated,  
"Those misunderstanding queens." Kaoru finished, shaking his head sadly. Our attention was taken away from them though as Tamaki began to speak again.  
"Hmm, how do you think we should punish you? It is your fault after all" Tamaki mumbled to Haruhi, clicking his fingers suddenly and pointing them at her. "Your quota has now been raised to 1,000!" Haruhi choked in shock, sweating at the thought of completing a task with a number that big. She stopped her hysterical fit when Tamaki put out his hand for her, pulling her to her feet. ""Come on, I have high expectations of you, my little rookie" He winked, giving her his charming smile. I hugged her, glomping her from behind and telling her she can definitely do that, especially with me to help.  
"Yeah, sure I can..." Haruhi mumbled tiredly, the very thought of it draining her energy.  
"Hey! Don't pull yourself short, Haruhi, **I'm** here for that job since my height defiantly fills that role perfectly" I laugh, indicating my small stature. As the three of us have a moment (Yes, Tamaki is included in this moment, as a special treat), we were interrupted as the sound of two crinkling bags filled our ears.  
"This is the only spare uniform we have, sorry. But's its better than a wet one, right?" Kyoya said, handing Haruhi one of the bags. Once Haruhi had said her thanks, she hurried off to get changed and that's when Kyoya turned to me.  
"What? I'm gonna be stuck in curtain drapes or something now, aren't I?" I joked, trying and failing to peak into the bag. He passed me the bag and once I saw the bundle of thick fabric and lace bundled inside the bag, I was worried my joke was coming true.  
"This is for you, it was the best we could manage without a uniform. I hope that this won't affect your _performance_ too much." He stated, me catching the hint in his tone. This wasn't a piece of curtain at all...It was my costume for my performance.  
"You mean..." I trail off, staring at him like a child in a toy shop would after his mum says he's free to wander. He nodded his head, telling me it would be a nice distraction after this incident, before warning me to hurry up and get changed, I'm on in 10 minutes. I nodded my head quickly, running off with a new purpose. I launched into the changing room, making it seem like I was going to the opposite side to Haruhi, when I had really snuck around and got into the same changing room as her. I didn't want to draw suspicion about a girl and 'boy' sharing a changing room but I also knew I needed help with my costume. I begged Haruhi to help me get changed first, knowing I was short on time and would need a little help with those little zips. How do the designers expect you to do the damn thing if it's smaller than the fingernail on your pinky!? As I pulled out the dress, I nodded in approval at the brilliant design. It was perfect for the song I wrote, how did he know? I shook my head, what a silly question, what does Kyoya _not_ know? As me and Haruhi scrambled to get myself ready (me telling her in a hurried breath I would explain later), I bubbled with excitement as my deal with Kyoya was finally happening.

As long as I get a good response to my Host Club singing début, I could pay off my debt by getting the same amount of customers as Haruhi except it would be for **singing** requests instead of hosting. It was the perfect way to practice for my band, improve my singing for lessons and also get me to do _no more waitressing! _Not sure what type of music these sophisticated ladies enjoyed, I decided to make my song lovey-dovey and romantic to keep in theme with the host club. But having been not sure about a slow ballet to grab their attention, I stuck to my usual fast and upbeat music to get some energy in the room and make a good impact on them, making sure I added wedding bells and string percussion sections to make the song more romantic. Kyoya was quite helpful as well; getting me part of the school band (Coincidentally all of them are raging fangirls of the Host Club) to play my music live and even got some equipment from the creative arts department. So not only did I have a fully functional mic, I had a stage, lights, fog and well..._everything_! I was suspicious at first, thinking he would make me pay for this (he is a businessman and not a charity volunteer after all) but he explained as long as I get customers in, the payment he gives me for my debt would cost more, or equal, the amount of money it costs to pay for such extravagant props. So with a confident stride, I snuck around the back of the changing room and into the hidden stage, prepared myself for_ literally_ the most important live performance of my life and prayed that the ladies would like me. I took a deep breath, calmness flowing through my limbs as naturally as blood as I grabbed my mic and ran through the curtain, ready to perform. I hope the Host Club is ready, because I'm gonna _**ROCK THE HOUSE!**_

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **I would really love some reviews on this chapter? I would love to know what you think about the bullying bit? ESPECIALLY about what you think about my story so far? PLEASE AND THANK YOU

I promise to update faster next chapter as it will most likely be shorter, but I wanted a good cliffhanger so I could focus a chapter on the singing and Haruhi's gender reveal, so I just ended it here...BUT I WILL STILL UPDATE SOON PINKY PROMISE!

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

* * *

**That's all folks, Goodbye! :) PS I WOULD REALLY LOVE SOME REVIEWS FOR MY CHAPTERS. AS THIS IS MY FIRST FANFICTION, I WOULD LOVE SOME IDEAS ABOUT SOME CHAPTERS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF, IT WILL MAKE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE MORE ENJOYABLE AND MAKE BE A BIT MORE CONFIDENT WITH MY CHARACTER AND MY WRITING. SO PLEASE, FEEL FREE FOR SOME IDEAS ABOUT PAIRINGS, SCENARIOS FOR THE PAIRING, FUNNY CLUB ACTIVITIES/OUTINGS OR EVEN MORE AYANE X HARUHI AND IF YOU WANT MORE SCENES WITH MY OTHER OCS (THE BAND)**

**I HOPE YOU HAVE THE SAME LOVE FOR AYANE X HARUHI AS ME, BUT I'M STILL CONSIDERING WHICH GUYS WILL LIKE AYANE SINCE HARUHI WILL GET TAMAKI DEFIANTLY...UNLESS I HONESTLY CONSIDER MAKING HER A LESBIAN...THOUGH THE CHANCES ARE SLIM...SO DON'T WORRY, I WONT LESBIAN THE STORY UP...TOO MUCH ;) **


	7. Singing is sexy, Haruhi is too!

I leaped onto the stage, hearing the smooth purr of the gears rotating me in a 360 degree spin, the fog machines activating. The girls gasped with surprise as all the lights in the Host Club room were cut, the only light a bright spotlight that was trained to me. Once the girls saw me, a low, excited chatter ran through the room as they questioned what was going on. I flashed them a beaming smile as bright as the spotlight, waving to the customers with confidence. Every girls gaze was on me, their eye's widening as they took in my new appearance. On my feet were dark red slippers, the laces on the shoes like ballets pumps. The lace ribbons were intricately criss crossed down my leg until it reached the top of the shoe, where a neat bow was tied to connect them. The dress was beautifully made, the same colour of burgundy as the shoes and just as delicately constricted. The top of the dress was a tight cropped corset with two ribbon straps that tied at the back of my neck in a bow. It the middle, between my cropped corset and the skirt, a number of ribbons had been tied over my exposed tummy in an artistic design of entwining ribbon over my middle section. The skirt itself flared out with a stunning lace trim, mini bows placed around it in a pleated pattern. A slice in the middle of the dress made way for a pinker colour to peek through as well, just like an old Victorian dress would expect this dress was considerably shorter, barely brushing past the top of my thighs. As the dress only had one sleeve, my other arm was tied with spare ribbon in a similar design to the shoes, the bow being tied by my wrist. While my other arm, with the slightly puffy sleeve, had small chains criss-crossing over the deep scarlet fabric. The final piece of the outfit included a ribbon choker and a mini crown placed on the top of my head, tightly pinned into my hair with hair clips that were easily covered by a large realistic fabric rose clip, completing the look perfectly.

As the whispers increased, I addressed the girls to hush them, getting ready to start.  
"Hi girls, I'm Ayane, as you may know" I say, winking at them "Today, instead of waitressing, I'd thought I'd bring your spirits up with a little song I made, just for the Host Club. It's just a little something about a princess 'enjoying' her prince. I hope you like it...1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4!" As the last number passed my mouth, the first strum of a guitar was heard and the spotlights spread so the back of the stage (and the band) were finally revealed. They had been behind a curtain this whole time, hidden from view to surprise the girls. As I got into 'Performance mode', I began to sway and dance to the beat before grabbing my microphone stand (That also had a bouquet of roses stuck to it for decoration) and let out the voice I had held on for so long.

**"Please don't let my Love turn out into a tragedy like it was for Juliet,  
Take me away into your arms,  
It's all I ask of you... **_(I sensuously dance to the beat, rolling my hips.)_  
**  
I say goodnight to both my Father and my Mother,  
I hope they'll be able to dream of one another,  
I think it's time for all the grown ups to go to bed... **_(I wink as I slide my hand down the mic stand, giving a flirtatious smile.)_  
**  
Enchanting caramel that carries sweet illusions,  
My crossing legs that bring on sexual confusion,  
How farther will I let you go on tonight? **  
**  
Screams of pain to "take it easy! Won't you bite me gently ?"  
"Dont you dare forget that I'm not ready quite yet."  
I'm only used to the sweets my mother makes me! **_(I bend down to sweep the floor with my hand, rolling my hips as I stood up again, smirking the whole time)_

**All the things I don't know, how they enchant me so,**  
**But isn't that normal, or at least how it should go.**  
**Show me everything and let me in your heart,**  
**If it's to you then I'll even show you ****my-**_BEEP!_ _(As the beep echoes across the room, I jump off stage dramatically, shocking the girls.)_

**I feel so in love just like Cinderella,  
And I will chase after you wearing only my glass shoes.  
I pray to God for time to come to a halt,  
Before the evil can come leaving us both at fault.  
Now, I have to escape just like Juliet did,  
But please don't call me by that name, we aren't the same. **_(As I sing this verse, I dance around the tables, running my hands across the girls chair or flicking their hair as I walk past, earning some gasps of excitement as I interacted with them)_

**It's not okay, please I just want you to stay**  
**Because without you here what is there for me to do ?**  
**So if I cried, would you always be right here by my side~?**

_ (I sit on Mori's lap, wrapping my arm around his neck and sliding down his lap)_

**I try so hard to look like I'm older than my age,**  
**I wear mascara to conceal the fact I'm in rage,**  
**I promise you, I'll be a good girl from now on...**  
**There's no one here to stop me from the things that I do, **_(I make my way over to the twins, using my finger to give them a suggestive 'come here'.)_  
**I want some love so why don't you come please me, you fool! **_(I grab Hikaru's tie, pulling him close to me until our lips were inches apart...)_  
**How farther will we be able to cross the line? **_(I shove him back into Kaoru as I say this, surprising the girls by standing and singing on one of the empty Hosting tables, instead of going back on stage)_

**Now I know that this is true, I fell in love with you,**  
**The pain is killing me, as I am screaming my pleas,**  
**I think you know by now that my Father doesn't seem to like you much...**

**I can see your hands reach out, as I begin to pout,**  
**And now I see it clear, you really love me my dear.**  
**Take me far away so we can make love Romeo,**  
**Oh, won't you fulfil my fantasies.**

**So I'll just run away like Cinderella,**  
**I'll scream my love for you, while leaving you my glass shoe.**  
**I'll pray to God that you'll come searching for me,**  
**Save me from all my dreams, while I run away and flee. **_(I run off stage at this, going to Tamaki)_  
**Well, I'm sure that Cinderella was lying herself,**  
**It's not an accident, she left her shoe on purpose.**  
**I understand that she and I are the same,**  
**Oh, I just want to be loved, so no more playing games.**  
**So, just look for me and then you'll soon find what you seek... **_(I fall dramatically, making sure it was at the right angle for Tamaki to catch me in a perfect princess/prince moment, I then cup his face and look like I'm about to kiss his cheek, before running away again)_

**Why don't you just take a look and see what I have hidden in the corners of my heart? **_(Just before I get to the stage, I fall to my knees in a dramatic fashion, my back to the audience)_  
**Can you see that it's filled with all of my dirty thoughts and all my needs and my wants?**  
**I want you to fill me up until I burst out forth and give into my desires, **_(I slowly rise up, until I'm standing again)_  
**I'm drawn into ecstasy,**** Oh how I feel so free! **_(I turn, clutching where my heart is, singing the strongest note my voice can take)  
_**Please tell me what it could be?  
****But if I lose you, I wouldn't know what to do... **

**My happiness seemed to be stored in a box, I need to find the key so I can open the lock,**  
**I'm scared, in pain, but I won't cry out in vain.**  
**The thought of you hating me, I know it couldn't be!**

**Well, my mum and daddy don't care about me,**  
**They aren't different yet, they are the same as can be.**  
**I'll stop my lies, and I'll be true to myself,**  
**I'll just stick to the facts, I dropped my golden axe!**

**So, If I keep lying too much like Cinderella,**  
**I know I'll meet the fate that she alone had to face.**  
**I'm really scared, and I have no clue what to do,**  
**But, I hope I don't end up just like her too.**  
**So before that happens, won't you come and rescue me...? **_( I reach my hand out to Kyoya, finishing with a spin and dropping the microphone loudly as the final beat of the drum hits.)_

I was breathing heavily, the main lights in the room flicking on. I was switching from one face to another, not sure if the silence was a good sign. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable so I grinned widely, smoothing my worry over with a confidence stance.  
"So...What do you guy's think" I asked, breathless from the energetic performance. Then slowly, as if unsure, they began to clap. It was quiet at first, rising in volume until the whole room was full of cries of amazement, the girls all voicing their compliments to me. It wasn't loud screams and calls like I was used to with my band performances but I didn't expect these 'ladies' to start screaming or anything. It was quite refined, like you how you would clap at a ballet or opera, the constant murmur of compliments flitting around the room. I smirked, giving the band members high fives and bowing to my audience, waving happily. _I did it_, I thought, _I really got them to like me_. I blew them all kisses and turned to leave until Kyoya came on stage and stopped me, a bulging bag in his hand.  
"Hello, this is Ayane, our newest entertainment for the Host Club. She will be performing for you from now on, whether she is singing an original song such as this or just playing some music to set the mood, Ayane will be here to entertain you. If you enjoyed her song, you can easily buy it here now for a 10% discount or on our online site. If you want to hear more from her, you can also place requests for covers of songs for her to sing or just to chat. That is all" Kyoya finished, holding one of the CDs up.

I thanked him, running off stage to change and walking straight into a proud looking Haruhi's arms.  
"That was amazing Ayane, I'd never seen you perform like that before or ever sing so beautifully." Haruhi said, her last words muffled as she hugged me deeply.  
"I know! I'm just so talented, aren't I?" I joked, an arrogant smirk on my face. "But seriously, I really do put my all in when it counts, even if your trips to band practice make me seem a little...Lazy" I laugh as I remember how Haruhi's first trip consisted of us sitting around and talking, not one ounce of singing involved. "I'm just so glad that they liked my voice..." I mumbled, looking up at Haruhi's face, now full of worry. Once I asked what was wrong, she nodded towards my eyes, now full of tears. I gasped as I felt them roll down my cheek, shaking my head and laughing it off as I brushed them away. "I'm fine, I guess my nerves about all of this finally built up so much that now I've actually done it...Hehe, I'm such a sap sometimes, aren't I?" Haruhi shook her head and got out a tissue, wiping them away for me. I grabbed her hand to pause her efforts, Haruhi looking up at me warmly as I returned her gaze with a loving one. I savoured that caring look she wore as we spiralled into another 'couple moment'. I broke it however by suddenly gripping her cheeks and tugging on them lightly.  
"Hey, stop that!" Haruhi whined, slapping my hands away.  
"Haha, sorry, you just gave me the cutest look, that's all." I giggled, throwing her a cheeky grin "I couldn't help but pinch your cheeks a little." She shook her head, sighing at my silliness but eventually joining in my laughter as well.  
"Aren't you going to go meet your new fans?" Haruhi asked, hearing the muffled voices of excited customers buying my CD. I shook my head, telling her that we should just stay here until they leave. "Sometimes it's best to keep the ladies waiting a bit, it makes them come back begging for more even harder than last time" I said as I winked, laughing at Haruhi's innocent expression. "Besides, I've already saw what that spare 'uniform' is so I'm pretty sure you can't just leave the hanging room in _that_." I muttered, pointing to the puffy monstrosity laid out, just waiting to be put on. Haruhi sighed, trying to tell me it's not that bad but I cut off her protests knowing those insulting piece of cloth needed to be destroyed in a fire...  
"We can't all have Kyoya buy us fancy costumes, you know" Haruhi retorted, taking off her blazer. I grinned, telling her that my partnership with Kyoya was no different from Tamaki fawning over his 'little rookie'.  
"Just cause you don't flirt your way into Tamaki's bank wallet doesn't mean you don't blink those little doe eyes at him to give you some leeway~" As Haruhi denied that accusation strongly, despite knowing it was true most of the time, we slowly heard the commotion from outside dwindle down until only the high-pitched squeal of Tamaki was heard.

He was loudly stating his opinion of my 'Commoner's performance'  
"So rural, so creative. Very artistic in an urban sense. Her peasant flair has a great likeability to it, It think this little street performer may break it with the customers after all. It was such a good idea for me to give this poor commoner this chance at stardom..." Haruhi looked confused at that statement, saying that she thought Kyoya was the one I organised this with but I just shrugged and said that Tamaki seemed like the type to hog all the credit anyway. All of a sudden, we heard outside go muffled as Tamaki had become quiet, his footsteps withdrawing from earshot. We briefly heard a 'Oh, I forgot!' from him, but that seemed to be the only clue of his disappearance.

Bored of staying still in the changing room, I started getting messing about with Haruhi. As she started undoing her shirt buttons, revealing her vest underneath, a mischievous grin stretched across my face as I suddenly remembered something. I prepared myself. I snuck up behind her, tiptoeing lightly and biting my lip to stop premature giggles bursting out. I had just crept up behind her when..._**TWANG!**_ I fell to the floor roaring with laughter, clutching my sides as I was hit with waves of giggles. Haruhi's reaction to getting the back of her bra strap snapped was hilarious, I needed to record it one of these days.  
"ARGH! Ayane that hurt! It's not funny, stop laughing, stop it right now!" Haruhi yelped, hopping around the changing room.  
"It's not my fault, it was the perfect time to do it!...By the way, why did you even _wear_ a bra today? We both know they got nothing to hold Hun, so why make the special effort? Unless...Oh Haruhi, was it to impress me? I know I'm sleeping at your house today but I wasn't planning to make any moves on you...But I can always make time for my little-"  
"Shut up Ayane, I'm not in the mood for your lesbian jokes today" Haruhi grumbled, not happy. I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around her, telling her it was only a little joke but she still pushed me off of her, sighing and saying she needed to change. I winked as I joked I could help her but Haruhi just gave me a tired gaze, saying I'm pushing my luck. So I sat down quietly and waited patiently for Haruhi to get dressed, or at least, that's what was _supposed_ to happen until-  
"Haruhi! Ayane's not in the changing room, in fact, she's nowhere to be seen!" Tamaki yelled, running straight into the changing room "I'm worried she came to perv on you again so I-Huh!?" He stopped as he saw Haruhi in just her vest, her shirt lazily hanging off of her shoulders in an unintentionally seductive way. Haruhi turned in confusion but it quickly escalated into surprise as she saw him watching her.  
"Oh Hey Tamaki, you came to enjoy the show as well, my fellow _**pervert**_" I exclaimed cheerfully, laughing at the realisation on his face. It took Tamaki a moment to process the information in front of him before he calmly closed the curtain without a peep out of him. Me and Haruhi just looked at each other and shrugged in a 'I don't know' gesture.

When I finally walked out of the changing room I was once again met with Tamaki who was just standing in the same stop, shock still frozen onto his features.  
"So Haruhi, you're a girl, right?" Tamaki asked in a strained tone, his voice weirdly more calm and collected than we thought It'd be. I guess the shock of finding out has left him feeling numb.  
"Yeah, biologically speaking at least" Haruhi answered from behind the curtain, oblivious to the intense trauma it was causing Tamaki outside.  
"Yeah Tamaki, it's obvious, isn't it?" I laugh, rolling my eyes. "I mean, can a girl pull off this." I dramatically pulled the curtain across, showing Haruhi in the female uniform. It was a yellow fitted-bodice dress with a pointed white-collar with a loosely bowed red tie. It also featured high-cut bishop sleeves ending in a white cuff and a skirt that is calf-length and somewhat puffy (crinolines used to maintain a bell shape). Her white tights and black shoes finished the uniform in a bundle of cuteness, her adorable level increased as she once again struggled to fix her school tie. As I went up and silently fixed it for her, I glanced over at Tamaki, who was currently having some sort of mental breakdown at the discovery of her sex.  
"In my opinion, I don't think it matters if people think I'm a boy or a girl. It's what's on the inside that matters, not the person's sex." Haruhi lectured intelligently, fixing the creases in her skirt. I nodded my head in agreement.  
"Right! Who cares about how feminine or masculine your looks are or even what _you have down below_ if you're going to do more than have sex with them! You actually need to make sure they're not total pricks when you hang out with them!" I said, grinning like an idiot. I probably didn't get my point across as well as Haruhi had done.  
"Well, isn't this an interesting development" Kyoya stated, who probably knew from the start.  
"Oh yeah!" The twins agreed, giving each other a wolfish grin, standing beside Shortie and Giant, who all may have picked up the hints along the way.  
"Oh! That reminds me, I have to say Senpai, I thought you were pretty cool earlier!" Haruhi admitted, smiling at him happily. This caused poor Tamaki to stop his stuttering, sweating and shaking to instead make him _blush_! I was very surprised when I saw it happen, watching his whole face turn a deep scarlet red as he clamped his hand over his mouth, me thinking in all the time I spend with the idiot, he'd never reacted to a girl that way before...  
"Now I could be wrong, but we may be witnessing the beginning's of love here." Kyoya mumbled, smirking knowingly. I walked to his side and laughed, saying that Haruhi never seemed like the lovey-dovey type like Tamaki but she is really great **_wife material_** anyway.  
"Joining the Host Club and being fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be so bad" Haruhi suddenly piped up, causing everyone to stare at her.  
"Hehe, see Haruhi, what did I tell you? Aren't girls just the best?" I laugh, "Especially when they flock to you like sheep and want to fuss over you like a pampered kitten" I add, wrapping my arms around her waist in a sort of half hug, proud of her enlightenment.  
"I wonder how I could it off though..." Haruhi trailed off, deep in thought. "...I've got it! I'll just start calling everyone 'Dude' and 'Bro' now!" Then she looked at me and let out one of her cute little giggles she only reserves to me, making me laugh along with her, both of us knowing this new chapter of our Host Club lives would definitely be a turn for the best...

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **I would really love to know what you think it, even though this chapter is small?

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

_P.S.-_

**wiki/File:Vintage_Dress_Concept_** (This is a picture of the dress I described by the way, if you want to look at it.

** watch?v=V6urw2BKQxY&list=PL_E6_0cuGqUc5MmZrDrjvoQRC0TTDWREy&index=15** (This is where I got the song and lyrics from, if you want to listen, Its really good!)


	8. Hula in Hawaii No? Babes in Bali!

"Zzzz" I snored lightly, my head resting comfortably on Haruhi's lap. We were in the library and Haruhi was doing her homework, scribbling in a notebook quietly. I wasn't in the mood to study however so I decided to catch up on my sleep, knowing her lap would be a _great_ pillow. I was eventually awoken when Haruhi abruptly stood up and forced me to be stand with her. I crashed to the floor with a _thud_.  
"Come on Ayane, I've been trying to wake you up for the past 15 minutes." Haruhi complained, grabbing her school stuff. "We're never going to hear the end of it if we're late!" She stuffed her bag and left, running out of the library. I groaned as I rubbed my eyes, yawning loudly. I followed behind her, shuffling sleepily, not fully awake yet. Haruhi stopped when she noticed my speed. "...Ayane?"  
"...Carry...Me..." I mumbled, leaning on her. Haruhi sighed, huffing angrily, but eventually complied and let me climb onto her back, catching a bumpy piggy-back ride.  
"You're lucky you're so short and light, or else I would have left you there, you know" Haruhi groaned, huffing as she tried to keep up her previous pace with the extra weight. I just yawned out a 'I love you too' and enjoyed the ride. We finally reached the top floor of the southern campus, standing in front of the end room of the north corridor. Music room 3.  
"We're going to be told off now, you know." Haruhi said, letting me down gently.  
"Oh, I'm sure it's fine. We're getting used to their speeches and actions now anyway, so we defiantly won't be surprised by them so easily." I carelessly answered, waving off her worry. But I instantly shut up once I opened the Host Club door.  
"...What the hell?" I blurted, seeing the new 'décor'.  
"What is this? Where am I?" Haruhi wondered aloud, looking around.

It seemed the boy's had decorated the room into some sort of tropical paradise; large greenery replaced the round tables, intertwined roots and vines climbed up the pillars and bordered the large window in a twisted design. The palm trees even had real fruit on them! Animals has also been placed in the room as we noticed a toucan that was grooming his feathers in a tree and a climbing chameleon poking it's tongue out at us from the window sill. Even a snake was coiled around a small trunk that had been placed right beside the door. As we finally rounded our eyesight to the centre of the room, we were hit with the Host Club's new look.  
"Welcome" They all chorused, smiling at us friendly. They were all cosplaying in different Royal Balinese outfits: featuring a lot of flower necklaces, floral printed fabric, heavy golden pendants (with jewels) and expensive rope-like fabric to tie their tropical man skirts up, leaving their chests bare for all to see. Haruhi looked wearily at the scene in front of her as if she was crying inside while I grinned respectfully at the boys, noticing the hint of a six pack peeking through all of them.  
"Urgh!" Haruhi blurted as the toucan came to sit on her head, nestling into her hair. I laughed loudly, not helping her in the slightest and only stopping when I felt the snake's body slither around my neck and hiss into my ear...  
"Oh, it's you two," Hikaru started,  
"we thought you were a guest so we got into position." Kaoru finished. Meanwhile, I was trying to disentangle the snake from me, starting to giggle again as I felt it's tongue tickling me.  
"Hehe, Ok,OK stop it now! Haha...P-P-Please you're killing me here!" I laughed, shaking uncontrollably. Mori must have heard my cries and thinking they were full of distress, quickly jumped to my side. He gently lifted the snake off of me and put it back on the tree, silently scanning me to see if I was OK. "Hehe, Thanks Mori, I thought that snake would tickle me to death." I laughed, punching his arm lightly in a way of thanks. Mori just looked embarrassed once he realised the misunderstanding, red dusting his cheeks.  
"Now I could be wrong, but my calendar says it's the middle of December" Haruhi muttered, looking at her pocket calendar, the toucan still on her head.

While I was explaining to Honey, who had decided to join us, about the time I wrestled this 6 foot snake at the park, Haruhi's statement gave Tamaki the perfect queue to launch into another one of his infamous 'speeches'.  
"Huddling over a kotatsu table and fearing the cold is nonsense!" He exclaimed, prancing around the room like a fairy as if it helped to explain his ridiculous plans. "Besides, the heating system we have is...The best" He uttered the last part in a hushed tone, as if it should impress us.  
"Ugh..." Haruhi sighed, annoyed by his stupid excuse while I raised an eyebrow at how much the school budgets the heating to let a _single room_ get to the temperature of a_ southern country._ I'm currently bundling up in 5 layers of blankets at home, running low on money for gas this time of the year. It was because of that I was spending _much more_ time at Haruhi's than my own house, deciding that freeloading at Haruhi's was better than my band mates as their parents said I wasn't welcome to mooch off of them anymore.  
"You better not have a problem with the way we run things in our club, Haruhi." Kyoya advised, seeing Haruhi's reluctant face at staying here. "You do owe us 4 million yen, remember?" Haruhi's expression became pained as she remembered the incident all too well, me slapping her on the back and said we should just think of this as a business trip abroad, meaning we could mix work with pleasure if we do it right.  
"Gentleman don't bundle up in bulky clothing," Tamaki continued his speech, oblivious to the lack of attention we're giving him. "It may be chilly as winter out there in the real world, but here at the Host Club we want to surprise our chilly little kittens with our warm tropical oasis!" He wrapped his arm around Haruhi's shoulders, starting to show her around while Kyoya came to collect me and list off my customers for the day. "Oh yes, we've turned this place into nirvana, an everlasting paradise of endless summer!"  
"That's funny, cause I feel a massive chill right now..." Haruhi mumbled, looking miserable as she resisted flinching away from Tamaki's touch. I laughed at her, whispering on my way past that this was why it's best to break up your time with the crazy friends and hang out with those relatively normal ones sometimes, or else you'll turn as insane as them. I pointed to Kyoya as an example, grinning cheekily when I noticed he had heard me.

He tutted and forced me forward, saying I could talk to Haruhi later but now is the time for work.  
"Yes _Sir_, whatever you say _Sir, _I am yours to command _Sir_." I said, imitating a soldier perfectly, even saluting while I had a stupid grin on my face at his unamused one. "Come on Kyoya, relax a little, not everything needs to be so serious" I giggled, trying-and failing- to pull a 'serious business' face.  
"Honestly Ayane, not everything can be made into a game. A Host Club such as this needs planning, preparation, organisation and-"  
"And **fun**! Geez Kyoya, winging it and just going with the flow can be just as enjoyable for us as it can be for the customers, you know." I said, rolling my eyes. He frowned at my carefree nature but I just stuck my tongue out at him and snatched his precious clipboard from his clutches. I quickly flipped through the plan he had for me, yawning loudly. I handed it back to him and winking, said just watch and learn.  
"But Ayane, I-"  
"_**Trust**_ Kyoya, the number one rule of a manager and client relationship~" I sang as I walked away, looking around the room. I hummed happily once I plucked one of the ukuleles used for decoration from it's place, knowing I could use this. I began to experiment, eventually strumming a tune I was happy with, keeping it with a typical holiday-style ukulele piece that you would hear in a place such as Hawaii. Once I saw my fangirls- or 'customers'-crowding around me, I began to sing a little spontaneous song to accompany the pleasant mood.

**On a tropical island,  
****I'm on a tropical island,  
****You're on a tropical island,  
****We're on a tropical island! **_(I start to bop along to the beat, encouraging the guests to join in as well)_

**On a tropical island,  
****Underneath the beating, boiling sun.  
****Hangin' with the hula dancers,  
****Askin' questions cause' they got all the answers. **_(I nod to the customers as I say this, starting to sway my hips like a hula dancer)_

**Sittin' by the ocean!  
****Causing a commotion! **_(I begin to hula dance my way around the room, making my excited customers follow me in a line as we weave in and out of the trees)  
_**Then we Puttin' on some lotion!  
****Rubbin' it on my body!  
****Rubbin' it on my body! **_(I playfully scratch my back against a tree trunk, similar to the way in The Jungle Book, pulling a silly face)_

**We're having a lot of fuu-u-un,  
****Cause there's nothing here but friends, sand and suu-u-un.  
****And all thanks to the Ki-i-ing,  
****We get to see some Host Club ski-i-in.  
****We really get to see some skin... **_(I finish, pointing my ukulele tip towards Tamaki's bare chest)_

The girls all laughed as I finished, commenting that although it was simple, it was such a playful and cheery song. I laughed along with them, saying that's what a holiday in the sun is all about, glancing at Kyoya with a smug grin. He finally sighed in defeat and gave me a small smirk, nodding his head in acknowledgement of my achievement before wandering off to write about it in his notebook. Meanwhile... 

"What heartlessness, even with my lustrous skin shining like brilliant ivory, exposed by my Balinese king outfit," Tamaki said, sliding his hand over the gold adorning his exposed chest. "I'm nothing more than a slave for my goddess, I kneel before her and swear my loyalty..." He whispered, holding one of the fangirls chin up by his finger.  
"...Tamaki..." She breathed his name, love hearts practically flying off of the girl.  
"Lucky..." Another sighed, gazing at her with envy.  
"Oh wow..." The third girl began to swoon, dizzy with love for the boy. Pathetic. But on my way past, sneakily stealing Tamaki's cocktail from the table, I heard Tamaki mention something that caught my interest.  
"Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention to you ladies. Next week, the Ouran Host Club is sponsoring a Christmas party"  
"We're throwing a party!?" Me and Haruhi chorused, Haruhi in a surprised tone and me in an excited one. We glanced at each other before turning our attention over to the twin's table, who were also explaining to their guests about it.  
"What sort of party is it going to be, is it going to be formal?" One of the customers asked, making me shuffle closer for the answer.  
"Yes, in fact, we've rented the school's largest hall" Hikaru stated, crushing my dreams of club-style party. The swirling images of bottles, bitches and beats disappearing as quickly as they came. Replacing them was class, courting and classical music. Oh how fun that would be.  
"Yes, it will be the perfect place for dancing." Kaoru added, just before Hikaru grabbed his face and pulled him closer to his own. With his voice hushed, Hikaru whispered that he _really_ wanted to spend some alone with him, 'Don't be upset Hikaru, I know exactly how you feel' Was Kaoru's reply. The whole scene caused the girls on the table to squeal and babble excitably about their 'brotherly love', more worked up than usual.

I broke the scene however once I suddenly stepped in-between them and broke the scene apart, smiling innocently at their annoyed faces.  
"So...What kinda dancing we talkin' about here, cause I do a really good robot" I joked, showing them a bit of my moves. They looked at me with irritation before sighing and sitting down again, replacing their previous look with a bored one.  
"Don't be ridiculous-" Hikaru said  
"-We do partnered work, you know, Ballroom dancing." Kaoru finished, rolling his eyes at me. An 'Oh' popped out of my mouth, glancing at them in mock disappointment. I told them 'that was too bad, I wasn't used to that sort of dancing', before wrapping my arms around both of them and saying with a grin they'll just have to teach me then, if they're not too busy _practising with each other_. I winked at them suggestively before waving a quick goodbye and wandering off, not even waiting for their answer as I saw Haruhi and Kyoya standing by the beach bar.

"...The guests are even more worked up than they usually are" I heard Haruhi comment as I walked up to them to stand in between them.  
"Showing some skin proves popular with the ladies" Kyoya explained, not even glancing at her as he was too immersed in his notebook. I laughed, saying that was why I mentioned it in the song, showing a bit of skin while not going overboard has your needs fulfilled while still leaving some room to your imagination.  
"Are you the one who came up with this tropical paradise idea" Haruhi asked, glancing at Kyoya curiously. Kyoya explained he had no decision-making authority, the club's rules are laid out by the Host Club's king, Tamaki.  
"But, there's no harm in casually slipping a Bali holiday photo book onto his desk, right Kyoya?" I say, giggling slyly as I was the one who caught him do exactly that last week, after club hours.  
"So he's the real brain behind the operation..." Haruhi muttered quietly, finally figuring it out.  
"Of course, there's no way that idiot could do it all, he _needs_ a little help or they'd probably go bankrupted cause he spent all the budget on ramen noodles or something" I whispered back, laughing quietly. "Don't you wish you had my mentor instead of yours?...Well, to be honest, he can be a bit boring and uptight sometimes. I do think that spending some time with Tamaki could be kinda fun..." I trailed off once I saw Haruhi's furious face, me backing away from her with my hands raised. "Sorry, sorry, I take it back. Tamaki bad. _Very_ bad." Just as Haruhi opened her mouth to speak, we were interrupted by Honey who had decided to take this moment to shout. I sighed with relief, Honey had saved me from nearly dying at the hands of my angry wife.

"TA-DAAAAAA" Honey screamed, showing off his outfit, a comically large flower necklace around his neck. His customers gasped with surprise, telling him he looked so cute in that outfit. I personally found him looking a little older without a shirt, what child would have those rock hard abs he's packing?  
"Hi ladies, I love these Balinese flowers, we had them flown in!" He happily stated, clutching his flower necklace in his hands. He called out Mori's (Or as Honey calls him, "Takashi's")-name out in surprise, running up to him and climbing up to his shoulders. He placed a flower necklace around his neck before hugging him and crying out he looked perfect now, as if the flower necklace had transformed him considerably. Mori just stood there silently, a pineapple still in his hand, probably the reason he left the table in the first place. I hummed as I walked over to them, taking Mori's flower necklace and wrapping it around my own head like a crown.  
"I don't know Honey, I think these red flowers go perfectly with my hair" I say, tilting my head towards Honey. "Besides, Mori's so tall he kinda looks like a tree with flowers on his neck and a pineapple in his hand, even his man-skirt is brown like a trunk!" Honey gasped, his eyes sparkling as he agreed and laughed along with me. Then he decided to then stare at me in silence, worrying me a little bit. Did I have something on my face? He eventually smiled brightly and out of the blue commented that I look like a Bali princess. I raised my eyebrow in surprise before happily grinning at his answer. "Thanks Honey, I guess that means you can be my prince?" It was Honey's turn to blink in confusion, tilting his head innocently. Once he saw my joking smile, he copied my grin and nodded his head enthusiastically.  
"Sure Ayane, I'd love too!" He cried, holding my hand. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw his customers sigh as if we'd melted their heart, saying how cute we looked. I figured out pretty early I can openly flirt with the boy's here since everyone knew I preferred girls, making all the customers 'ship' me and their favorite boy as the unlikely-yet-amazing couple in school (Or as Kyoya say's, I help bring out the boy's desirable characteristics/scenarios without the girl's then turning jealous and envious of another girl being so friendly with the Host Club).  
"Naw, it's Ok Honey, you've got much prettier princesses right here. You can choose a delicate flower from _that_ garden instead" I say, redirecting his attention to his groupies. I wink at the girls, kissing one of the lovely ladies hands as I walked past, smirking once she blushed at my touch. Did I mention my flirting has convinced the majority of the ladies here that a little girl on girl action is just as rewarding as the Host Club boys?

"Errm Haruhi, aren't you going to wear a tropical outfit like the other boys?" A girl on Haruhi's table asked, bringing my attention back over there.  
"I'd like to see that!" Another said, nodding her head. Haruhi looked nervous, not sure how to answer. I walked up to her and giggled, wrapping my arms around her from behind her chair.  
"Well ladies, Haruhi's never really liked to dress up. You should see him on Halloween, _veerry_ depressing" I said, giving them a wink. Haruhi looked at me in surprise, before her eyes flashed as she thought of a reasonable excuse.  
"Errm, yeah, what Ayane said! I mean, well, I-I-I just don't think it's appropriate to wear anything but winter attire in...Winter, you know?" She stuttered, flapping her hands around nervously.  
"But we have one ready for you Haruhi, I think you'll like it. We make a pair!" Tamaki suddenly piped up, holding up the female costume to his own; featuring a headdress, earrings, tube top and skirt. Haruhi let out a blunt 'No thanks' as her eyes glanced at the costume for approximately no longer than 3 seconds. This caused Tamaki to freeze over with hurt, his face clouded with sadness. I glanced at the costume excitedly, asking sweetly if I could have a look as I reached my hand towards it. He growled at me before running off with it protectively, throwing it in some hiding place so no one but Haruhi could wear it. I raised an eyebrow at his actions.  
"Geez Tamaki, calm down, I was only asked if I could have a closer look-"  
"This is only for Haruhi" He warned me, crossing his arms decidedly.  
"But Tamaki, how could Haruhi, a _boy,_ wear an outfit specially made for _girls_?" I said, biting my lip to stop myself from laughing at his distraught expression, throwing him an innocent look instead. That was when I suddenly thought of something. My innocent look changed into a sad one, my lips forming into a pout as tears filled my eyes. Tamaki stumbled back in shock, his mouth wide open.  
"A-A-Ayane?"  
"H-H-How could you Tamaki? I thought we were friends, huh, why won't you share your costume with me?" I cried, sniffling sadly. "I'm part of the Host Club too, you know, but I guess the Host Club doesn't cater to it's female staff, only their beautiful customers...Just like a _sexist pig!_" I said, my voice cracking. I even managed to let a single tear to roll down my cheek, silently thanking my acting classes. Tamaki stuttered pathetically, not sure what to do, choking with embarrassment as the customers began to notice the scene.  
"Tamaki, that's terrible!"  
"Yeah, why won't you let Ayane have it?"  
"Maybe the king really is a sexist pig!" The girls whispered among themselves, Tamaki hearing every word of it. He froze with fear at those words, quickly turning to reassure the suspicious girls. He stopped suddenly and turned to me, a smile on his nervous face.  
"Ayane! O-O-Of course we're friends, you're the Host Club's valued entertainer!" He exclaimed, his hands reaching out as if to hug me. "Here, you can have the costume, no, even better, you can keep the costume and take it home with you!" He said, fumbling to hand me the garnet, looking at his customers hopefully. The girls all nodded with approval, once again fawning over how 'kind' Tamaki is. I looked at the piece of clothing closely, rubbing the fabric between my finger and thumb. I sighed, dropping it on the floor with a careless flick of my wrists.  
"You know what? I don't really want it any more, you can keep it" I nonchalantly say, walking off without even glancing at the king. But by the soul crushing noise he made, whimpering like a lost puppy, I knew my little revenge plan had worked. "Sorry Tamaki, maybe you should have just given it to me when I first asked."

The twins, who had witnessed the whole scene, burst into loud guffaws, walking up to me and slapping me on the back proudly.  
"Wow commoner, you're even better at making the bosses life hell than we are!" Hikaru snickered, giving me a high five.  
"Yeah, I've never seen the king act so confused and pathetic!" Kaoru agreed, ruffling my hair proudly. I looked at them both, feeling pride swell up in me for their compliments, knowing how much it takes to get their interest for more than 5 seconds. Laughing, I shot them an arrogant grin, telling them it was a piece of cake and that they should watch out for my next prank, it was going to be amazing. This caused us to turn to Tamaki, who was just walking past, as he began to shake at the thought. When the twins weren't looking, I mouthed to him 'Just joking, but cross me again and I'll ruin you', giving him a stone-cold look of malice and a throat slitting action with my finger...Before giggling and running off again, finding something else to do.

When I wasn't practicing for a big performance, I would usually just walk around and interact with the Host's, always finding that their diverse, eccentric and overwhelming personalities do help me escape from the harsh reality of the world, me finding that I leave the club less depressed than I walk in there with. I won't bore you with the gritty details of the less cheery part of my life, that's for another time. For now, I'll tell you about a time when the Host Club had a guest that was similar to me in many ways, ways that help me realise the Host Club was more than just flirting pretty boy's that distracted you from your real troubles. No, sometimes these boy's could actually help you solve them...

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **Did you like all the little interactions Ayane had with all the Host Club Boy's?

I thought that her cheery personality would be good for her to be friendly with all the boy's-even the customers-Even if the boy's don't 100% like the way she acts...(_Cough, Cough_ Kyoya and Tamaki...Sometimes Haruhi when she annoys her too much LOL). But it's not all bad, I think Mori and Honey like her the most, and the Twins are on a a more hot-cold relationship at the moment, since their still in their own world and refuse to let her get too friendly with them, but love the way she tortures Kyoya and especially Tamaki...

The last paragraph was a hint towards her more tragic past that I mentioned in the summary, and I think the storyline about that teacup girl and her fiance will be a good way introduce some of her past, so watch out for that!

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

**_P.S._-**

**wiki/On_a_Tropical_Island/As_a_Tropical_Island **(This is the song Ayane sung if you want to know what it was, I changed practically all of the lines but I thought I'd share where I got the idea/foundation of the song from)


	9. Kanako Krazy for kups? Ayane is curious

I was sitting beside Haruhi, my feet up on her lap as I casually strummed my ukulele, humming quietly.  
"Wow Haruhi, You're really faithful to the different seasons, aren't you?" A girl giggled dreamily. This was after Haruhi had explained for the fifth time why she wasn't wearing a costume. This was her last round of customers and every group had asked that same question. It was starting to annoy her.  
"I think that's great!" A second girl agreed, "I hope it snows on the day of the party..."  
"The two of us dancing as snowflakes fall around us...It's so dreamy!" The third girl sighed, melting into her seat.  
"You really think so?" Haruhi asked, bringing them back to reality. She smiled, saying to the ladies that she thinks it's so cute that they dream like that. The girls all blushed deeply, looking at Haruhi with affection.  
"I don't know, dancing in the snow would freeze your ass off, wouldn't it? Especially when you're wearing some skimpy little dress!" I butted in, causing the girls to laugh at me. "What? I wouldn't want to get frostbite, blue tinged skin would clash with my hair!" I exclaimed, generating more giggles from the girls and an ashamed sigh from Haruhi. Just then, a girl walked up to the table and interrupted us. She had large Hazel eyes that radiated calm, her brunette locks fashioned into a simple yet short bob. Her gentle beauty combined with her elegant nature made her the image of a sophisticated lady.  
"Excuse me, I hate to disturb but I think it's time for the hosts to switch clients." The girl reminded Haruhi, smiling at her gently.  
"Oh I'm sorry, you must be my next appointment, Miss...Errm?"  
"Kanako, Kanako Kasugasaki" She introduced, gently placing Haruhi's chin in-between her delicate fingers and lifting her eyes towards her own. "You're even cuter than I expected." She muttered, gazing at her face intently. She then told us that Haruhi was now her favourite host as casually as if she'd said she wanted Nutella on her toast instead of butter. She really was something. I could tell straight away she was different from the other hormonally crazy girls. This one had something special about her, something that separated her from the rest. But what really caught my attention was the shocked 'Ack' that Tamaki expressed once she said Haruhi was her favourite...

I found out later on, after club hours, what was really going on. It was now evening, the air had turned bitter cold, the winter night turning harsh. The moon was already peeking out from the darkened sky and a chill was lurking by the window. The Host Club was having a meeting about the final plan for the party, meaning that instead of snuggling together with my Haruhi under a blanket and watching a rerun of Law And Order, I was arguing with Kyoya on what a 'real' party is like.  
"An orchestra, are you kidding me!? We need a DJ with lots of tracks about sex, drugs and hot girls!" I explained, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at him.  
"Ayane, strobe lights and glow sticks are not an 'essential' part of a party, especially not one at this school" Kyoya retorted in an irritated tone, clenching his teeth together to stop himself from losing his temper.  
"What the hell do you mean 'No alcohol?' I need a little vodka in me or else this whole thing is pointless! If I remember a party, then that means it just wasn't a good night!"  
"Hangovers and 'butt cramps from humping on the dance floor' are not good indicators of how 'awesome' a party is..." And that was how most of the conversation went, the other boy's not even daring to get involved, afraid they would make things worse. I wasn't shouting angrily at him but I wasn't making much sense either, my argument consisting of childish retorts accompanied with a string of babble from past experiences with Rin, who'd always managed to sneak us into clubs since we were 15 (Rin was tall with older friends to help us in and although I'm not tall myself, you could say I had a 'well developed' body from a young age...). It was probably the nonsense I told him that made him so mad at me in the first place. We eventually stopped when Kyoya threatened to force Haruhi to stop letting me mooch off of her, shutting me up and ending the argument quickly. He had the authority to do that. I sighed, my lips curving into a small smile as I admitted he won this round but next time he won't be able to hide behind his money and power.  
"We shall see about that Ayane..." He smirked, also calming down. The Host Club just looked at us both in confusion, not sure how we could argue with such fiery passion a moment ago to then cause all the tension in the room to evaporate as quickly as it came.

Once that '_small' _issue was resolved, we went back to _calmly_ authorising the plans for the party, everyone committing except for one grumpy king who had decided to sit on his own...On the other side of the room.  
"_Mmm_, I can't..._Slurp_, take this anymore..." He grumbled, choking down a bowl of Ramen noodles at an astonishing rate.  
"Hey Boss, why don't you stop eating that commoners ramen and come over here to help us with the party planning!" Hikaru shouted over to him,  
"Does it really bother you that Princess Kasugasaki has taken a liking to Haruhi?" Kaoru added, clarifying what had the king in such a bad mood. Kyoya, who was typing up the plans on his Pear laptop, stated he shouldn't be surprised as she's had 'the disease' for a while. This got him a confused look from me and Haruhi.  
"She's got the host hopping disease" Hikaru explained,  
"AKA, never the same boy twice disease" Kaoru added.  
"Usually our customers choose a favourite host and them see them regularly, however, Princess Kanako likes to change her favourites on a regular basis" Kyoya elaborated further. That's when Honey pitched in and said that a week prior to now, Tamaki (Or as Honey calls him, "Tama-Chan") was her favourite. I began to laugh.  
"So you're basically saying she's the Host Club Whore?" I giggled, finding the thought hilarious. "And now that she's thrown Tamaki away like yesterday's stale arm-candy, he's gotten jealous of her newest man?" He attacked me for that comment, screaming in my face to _**shut up**_!

He snapped at me, saying he couldn't care less about Princess Kanako with Haruhi, blowing me-And poor Honey-onto the floor with the force of his denial-filled screeches.  
"Argh, I'm sick of this!" He suddenly wailed, pointing a finger at Haruhi. "It's time you started dressing like a girl!" Haruhi looked at him in exasperation while Kyoya completely ignored the idiot and carried on typing. Me and Honey got up and dusted ourselves off, Honey with a look of hurt and me with a glint of revenge in my eye. Tamaki continued to babble on about how Haruhi's so popular even though she's a girl, causing me to cough loudly to get his attention. Has he forgotten about **my** popularity?  
"Now, now Ayane, no one likes a show off, so I suggest you don't start another diva tantrum because of someones fleeting comment" Kyoya chuckled, not even hiding the humoured smirk on his face at my pouting one. I pulled a face behind his back, huffing with annoyance as Kyoya piped up that he saw me and didn't appreciate it. But just as I opened my mouth to retort, Tamaki continued to voice his despair.  
"No one knows about the truth except those here..." He moaned in frustration, ignoring me.  
"Yeah, she opted out of gym classes" Hikaru nodded in agreement.  
"And the attendance numbers are all mixed up together so no one can tell" Kaoru added. Tamaki then decided to storm off, coming back trailing an ancient trunk labelled 'King's private property'. He knelt in front of it and rummaged through the trunk for a while, everyone watching on in silence.  
"That's enough Haruhi, now you listen to Daddy..." He called out in a muffled voice, his face buried deep inside of the trunk. He eventually took out a giant framed picture of a younger looking Haruhi, shoving it in her face. "Daddy wants you to go back to the way you were!" He cried, Haruhi beginning to complain about him blowing up pictures of her without permission.

I peered closely at the picture while the two argued, blocking out their bickering. She was wearing a middle school uniform and had long dark brown hair reaching the middle of her back, her face lacking the glasses she wore on the first day.  
"Aw, you were just as cute then as you are now Haruhi" I complimented, earning an uninterested grunt from her. How attractive.  
"The more I look at this picture, the more amazed I am" Hikaru sighed, shaking his head in confusion. As Tamaki sobbed on the floor pathetically, the Host Club had all crowded round to look at the picture in question. "How could _this_ possibly become _that_?" He said, indicating to the picture of her in middle school and a picture of her on her first day at highschool.  
"Hey!" I warned, not liking his tone. "I think Haruhi looks even better with short hair and glasses than she did back then" I said, wrapping my arms protectively around Haruhi's shoulders and pulling a silly face at the twins. Once everyone in the room's attention turned to Haruhi, she began to explain what happened. She went into detail about how a kid on her street got gum in her hair so she cut it all off out of convenience and then she lost her contacts the day before school so she just put on some old glasses she found lying around the house. I looked at her in disbelief. She didn't bother going to a hairdressers to let a professional sort it out _and_ she picked up glasses that probably aren't even her prescription? That sounds pretty irresponsible, especially for Haruhi. In fact, it sounded like something **I** would do...  
"I didn't care if I looked like a dude, you know" She said carelessly, shrugging her shoulders. Tamaki looked livid.  
"Urgh...A GIRL SHOULD NEVER REFER TO HERSELF AS A DUDE!" He screamed, shoving his face close to hers, "MOMMA! Haruhi's using those dirty boy words again..." He cried woefully, looking at the Host Club for help.  
"Momma? I'm sorry, but who is...Momma?" Kaoru asked, turning to Kyoya as Tamaki sunk to the floor in a puddle of his own tears.  
"It better not be me, or else I'm disowning his ass." I said, worried that because of my gender, he was referring to me. Kyoya said that based on club position, it was probably him, making me let out a huge sigh of relief. I dodged a bullet there, I wasn't ready for kids, _especially_ one like Tamaki.

Meanwhile, Haruhi was scolding the crying child.  
"Look, I don't see what you're crying about. If I work as a Host, I can pay off more of my debt than if I was still an errand boy, I'll never get done if I'm doing chores." Haruhi told him, glaring at Tamaki with annoyance.  
"Hate to change the subject but do you have formal dancing experience? You'll need it at the party. **Both** of you." Hikaru asked, glancing at the two of us, making a special effort to mention me. We blinked at him in surprise.  
"Huh!? No...B-B-But the party doesn't have anything to do with my quota, right!?" Haruhi quickly replied, nervous of the answer she would get back. "I'm not interested in any dancing so if I could be excused-"  
"Yeah, me too! As if I'd be caught at some snobby rich party...I don't live in the 18th century, you know!" I added, giggling and rolling my eyes at them. But we both shut up once we saw the evil glint Tamaki and Kyoya got in their eye...  
"Definitely not. A refined gentleman must know how to dance." Tamaki chuckled, swiftly turning into the calm and refined gentleman he spoke of, the tears dried from his cheeks. "If you want to live the life of a host that badly, you're going to have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi!" He continued, fire blazing through his passionate eyes.  
"Quite right Tamaki. Oh, and Ayane? You do realise as the Hosts _only_ entertainer, it is your sworn duty to perform a little number for our loyal customers, correct?" Kyoya said, smirking once he saw my disappointed face. "If you want to gain recognition for your voice, you're going to have to learn that you can't always perform at a gig you particularly like, Ayane." He added, fixing his glasses. It gave me the perfect chance to see the electricity dancing through his eyes, the sadistic glee of getting his way showing through his evil chuckle. He really was a _shadow king_, easily finding a way to get what he wants through the real man in charge, Tamaki. Tamaki was just a puppet for Kyoya, the man who pulled the strings. As Kyoya told me the sort of songs I had to sing, Tamaki told Haruhi she had to master the waltz within a week, just in time to show her new skills at the party. He began to twirl elegantly towards Haruhi as he said this, showing her the type of dance she would have to complete before suddenly stopping to point a finger at her.  
"Or else I'll tell the whole school you're a girl! Then knock you back down to errand boy..." This make Haruhi nearly burst into tears, her body shivering in horror at the thought. That's was Kyoya's queue to also announce that he would cancel all my future performances and I would become a waitress again. I pouted at his words, crossing my arms and turning away from his childishly, not happy about this at all.

* * *

The next day after Tamaki and Kyoya cancelled all of our customers for the day, we were forced to practice our respective roles for the party.  
"Quick Quick Slow, Quick Quick Slow..." Kanako instructed Haruhi as they danced around the room. "Good work Haruhi! Now on the slow you should bring your feet together" I smiled in amusement as I watched Haruhi nervously stumble around, too worried about standing on Kanako's toes to even fully listen to her instructions. "Remember, the gentleman always leads...And make sure to look at the lady you're dancing with" She added, humour in her tone. I glanced to the window sill where Tamaki was sitting, bored of watching them. He was staring out of the window with brooding eyes, posing like a model. I couldn't delve into the reason why he was looking like that however as Kyoya had decided at that moment to tap my empty notebook with his fountain pen, tutting with disappointment at the lack of work. I smiled sweetly at him, hoping I could get off the hook by looking cute but it had no effect on the cold heart of Kyoya. I sighed, putting my head down so it looked like I was actually thinking of lyrics instead of procrastinating. At least Haruhi was doing OK with her job...  
"I-I-I've got it! A...A...ARGH-" She cried out, standing on Kanako's foot before forcing them both to tumble onto the floor. Smooth Haruhi, really smooth. I covered my mouth to stop myself laughing but my chuckles could be heard from across the room, earning me another scolding from Kyoya. "I'm so sorry Miss Kasugasaki!" Haruhi blurted, realising how awkward it must have looked to have her pinned underneath her in such a sexual way. Kanako giggled, wrapping her eyes around her neck and pulling her closer. That sneaky girl was using the tricks **I** used on Haruhi. Perhaps me and Kanako have more in common than we thought?  
"It's OK Haruhi..." She whispered, enjoying the moment. While Haruhi helped Kanako up, the twins asked the Boss why he was so gloomy.  
"I bet it's because he wanted to be the one who Haruhi practises with" Hikaru snickered, grinning at Kaoru.  
"I think you may be right but he's way too tall to stand in as a woman" Kaoru whispered back. I giggled before pointing out to them that Honey and Mori seemed to be doing just fine. The three of us turned to see Mori and Honey practising their ballroom dancing together, Mori as the woman and Honey as the man. It was hilarious to watch. "Well they're pretty weird anyway" Kaoru said, raising an eyebrow at their actions.  
"I know some way better dance moves than what these chumps are trying anyway. Ballroom dancing? Yawn..." I complained, sinking further into my chair as I draped my arm over my head in despair. The twins gave each other a mischievous look before turning to grin at me.  
"Well then, prove it." They both exclaimed, Hikaru holding up a remote. A remote that suspiciously looked liked one that controlled the music playing through the speakers in the room...I returned their mischievous grin, giggling with glee.

Kaoru then pressed the button, letting the music change into an upbeat jazz number. I whooped, yelling that I loved the 1920's! As everyone looked around in confusion, I began to do a perfect Charleston, laughing as I did. Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey and Mori all cheered (Well, Mori kinda just stood there, but I think he was cheering internally?) as I danced. Tamaki even glanced over briefly to distract himself from the torture of watching Haruhi and Kanako, who of which had stopped to look as well. Dancing over to Mori, I grabbed his hand and pulled him so he could dance with me, trying to make him come out of his shell. This earned bigger cheers from my crowd, the noise rapidly turning negative as Kyoya, looking at me tiredly, turned the music off.  
"Ayane, I know you said our dancing is 'old fashioned' but I think you're in the wrong century." He sighed, shaking his head at my antics. I just gave him a cheeky grin, laughing with everyone as I commented he _is_ starting to sound like the Host Club Mum. But before he could answer, Hikaru had already pressed another button so that an R&B song filled the room.  
"Oh Honey, you'll love this song! It's about your favourite things!" I say, beginning to roll my hips to the beat.

**"MAN: I'll take you to the candy shop, I'll let you lick the lollypop. Go 'head girl, don't you stop, Keep going 'til you hit the spot (woah)."  
****"WOMAN: I'll take you to the candy shop, Boy one taste of what I got, I'll have you spending all you got, Keep going 'til you hit the spot (woah)"**

****I laughed as Honey figured out the double meaning to the song. What? Honey **_is_** 18 years old you know, I'm sure **sex** and **sweets** are his two favourite things! As I began doing some impressive moves consisting of a lot of hip rolling, grinding and suggestive movements, Everyone looked on in shock at my moves and the songs lyrics that came with it. I guess these rich kids must have some really censored lives. My dance moves weren't even _that_ provocative or sexual, or at least, not as bad as I have seen...I slowed my moves down as the song's beat died down, going at a slower pace. Once I got my hips grinding at a nice rate, I turned to see the Host Club's boy's reaction to such 'adult' dance moves. Tamaki had fallen to the floor in shock, his face covered in a dark red blush as a large trail of blood came out of his nose. Honey was staring at me with wide eyes, just a small trickle of blood from his nose, his minimal reaction finally showing his maturity level. Mori was also the least reactive, no nose blood but his entire face and neck were painted a deep scarlet. It was the twins however, who had the most reaction. Their knees were shaking violently and their hands were clamped onto their noses, which at this time had turned into a red fountain of their own arousal. A small puddle of the floor was forming under their feet. Suddenly, the sound abruptly cut off as Kyoya stood there, swinging the speaker plugs in his hand. I grinned widely.  
"Hey Kyoya, hows that for more modern dancin-"  
"How about we leave your club dancing...At the club" Kyoya advised, his voice strained. He looked seemingly unbothered by my dancing but the undeniable blush he tried to hide under his glasses didn't get past me. I sighed, saying I guess things got out of hand.  
"How about some good old techno to get into the partying mood?" I say, snatching the plug from him and plugging it back in. "Sometimes a typical house party or _normal_ club isn't as provocative and sexual as you think. It's much more about just expressing yourself and having fun!" I fiddled with some buttons on the music player, finally finding the most fun, upbeat and _epic_ techno song I had ever heard, letting the music flow around the room. The beats pounded into the Host Club, causing them to unconsciously start to bob their head to the beat. "Right boy's, let me show you some _real_ dancing..." That's when I went straight into my area of expertise. I was popping, locking and letting out my inner Michael Jackson! I then began to shuffle, really showing my footwork at its best. The boy's shook off their previous shock and began to cheer for me, even louder than when I did the Charleston. I laughed, grabbing the twins hands and forcing them into the spotlight. They looked at me in annoyance, not in the mood to dance but I quickly got them moving their feet once I danced in-between them, encouraging them to copy me. Once I got the twins on my side, I realised I didn't need to convince Honey to join me. He happily whooped as he joined us, dragging a poor and embarrassed Mori with him. I gave Honey a big high-five and flashed Mori an apologetic smile,knowing he didn't want to be here. While me and Honey encouraged Mori to actually dance, We briefly heard Tamaki use this chance to grab Haruhi and dance with her. But he was too slow, Haruhi was quickly led away by Kanako who was 'intrigued' by this sort of gathering and the dance moves that came with it. Even as I sympathised with a rejected Tamaki, showing him some moves to impress Haruhi, Kyoya watched on, alone and detached. As the song reached it's climax, the Host Club all turned to Kyoya, looking at him expectantly. He looked on, not swayed by them in the slightest. It wasn't until I flashed him a flirtatious smile, holding my hand out to him invitingly, that I even saw the hesitation in his eyes. Slowly, he reached out his hand and placed them in mine, smirking as he finally danced with me. I felt my own smirk widen as I found him to be a really good dancer, perhaps the best out of all the Host Club boys...It was amazing! The chemistry between us was intense, our dance moves matching perfectly as we stole the spotlight. Once the song had finished everyone flopped to the nearest seat, panting heavily after the intense dance session.

Fanning myself with the nearest napkin, I smiled over at Kyoya. "You know, you're a better dancer than I thought, I knew you were hiding something under that boring, business man act" I laughed, slapping him playfully. He just smirked that all knowing smirk of his, chuckling at my statement.  
"Thank you so much for allowing me to practice with you, I really appreciate it." Haruhi said, bowing slightly to Kanako. I coughed, grabbing her attention. "_Sigh. _And thank you Ayane for teaching me some new dance moves, I really appreciate that" I coughed again. "_And_ thank you for teaching me how to be an awesome dancer at a party?" I coughed for a third time. "And...Thank you for being my bestest friend in the whole wide world...And...I love you...A lot?" I smiled at her answer.  
"Aw shucks, no problem Haruhi, you know I love ya too!...But I don't know where all this is coming from, I just had something in my throat and I was trying to cough it away." I nonchalantly told her, laughing at her deflated expression. Kanako then distracted Haruhi by saying it was no problem helping out with her ballroom dancing, interrupting our banter.  
"I heard you weren't seeing any customers today to practice so I'm glad I got to spend this time alone with you." She whispered, placing her elbows on the table so she could lean closer to her. I smiled nostalgically, remembering the times when I used to say things like that to Haruhi. Well, it was only yesterday since I've last talked to Haruhi like that but you understand my point. This Kanako chick had more in common with me than I previously thought.  
"Oh my, this is a new tea set, isn't it?" She suddenly exclaimed, bringing her attention to the green tea set Kyoya brought over. "It's Ginori!" Me and Haruhi looked at each in confusion.  
"_Gin...oree?_" We muttered, glancing at each other in confusion. I just shrugged my shoulders, mumbling it must be a rich people thing. Kyoya smiled, telling 'mademoiselle' she has a keen eye and that he had just received them yesterday, the club deciding it was time to upgrade their tea sets. I didn't really understand, being the type of person who would shove any drinkable liquid down my gob no matter how fancy the cup it was held in, not really one for fine china. Kanako was clearly interested however, her eyes lighting up as she lifted the teacup for a closer look. She rubbed the smooth china with her finger, gazing at it with a look of melancholy as if remembering something from her past.  
"What a pretty colour. Lovely." The way she said those words, the emotion she carried within the sentence told me that teacup was special to her in some way as if it reminded her of something (or someone) precious to her. I knew that feeling well. That feeling of sentiment to something so insignificant and simple, but no matter how silly it was, you couldn't get that person out of your head once you looked at it and held it in your palm...  
"You must really be into tableware, huh?" Haruhi happily stated, also noticing everything I picked up on. Kanako's calm demeanour changed at those words, her face one of pure distress as she quickly tried to deny it.  
"WHAT!? No, I mean, not really...W-W-Well of course I'm not!" She stuttered, giggling nervously at Haruhi, trying to cover up her love of the teacup. I raised an eyebrow at her words. "Why would I know anything about it...?"  
"Are you sure, you looked like you were ready to marry the thing just then?" I said sceptically, looking at her with doubt. She stiffened at my words as if I'd struck a chord with her. In her overreaction, she slammed her teacup down onto the table, scalding herself in her haste. I gave her a funny look, wondering why she refused to be honest about her taste in fine china, despite the fact it was something quite popular between rich people.

As Haruhi quickly tended to her wound, the door opened to reveal a delivery man.  
"Err...Hello?" He called out, carrying a clinking box in. "I'm here with the new tea cups you ordered" He walked into the room and as I ran up to collect the delivery, I got a closer look at the boy. He wasn't a delivery man at all, but a student. It was hard to notice at first as he was wearing the Ouran school jumper, which was cream coloured and had no logo sewn onto it, meaning there was no indication of the school on him. I greeted him cheerfully, wobbling as I tried to carry the heavy yet fragile box on my own. Kyoya steadied my grip just in time.  
"Ah yes, thank you." He told the boy, letting go of the box and signing off the package with his trusty fountain pen. "Every item that you have chosen for us has been extremely popular with the ladies. I'm quite impressed."  
"Well, you know what they say Kyoya. Ladies always get a little more frisky the better quality a man's teacup is" I laughed, huffing slightly as I tried to carry the heavy items on my own, barely making it to the kitchen in time. So much for Kyoya helping me, I thought he was supposed to be the big strong man around here?  
"Well, erm, that's good to hear, I guess" He said quietly, quite embarrassed by my choice of words.

I noticed as I came out of the kitchen that Kanako's head drooped sadly when he spoke, the corners of her mouth slowly curving downwards. Haruhi moved over to him, asking if he sold the tea cups, not realising he was a student just as I did at first. The boy nervously corrected her, telling her he was just a regular student here, just like everyone else. Kanako's expression changed to bitterness as he said that.  
"Hahaha, Oh Haruhi, you're so funny!" She chortled, quickly putting on an amused façade. "Hehehe, I can't blame you for not knowing, after all, he doesn't look like the heir to a first class company" She turned so she was facing us, a pleasant smile now planted on her face. Everyone looked at her in surprise, Haruhi repeating in confusion 'First class company?'.  
"His family's business, the Suzushima company, deals primarily in the importing of tableware..." Kyoya explained, droning on about how rich and powerful his family was. But I wasn't interested in that. I noticed the way the boy and Kanako stared at each other, the boy looking at her with hope in his features, a hint of desperation shining through his eyes. Kanako returned the silent greeting with her own disheartened stare before her eyes flickered to the floor, her face contorting as if she was about to cry. "...So whenever something exceptional comes in, we've asked him to bring it our way." Kyoya finished his little explanation, Haruhi turning her gaze to also notice the tension between Kanako and Suzushima, an inquisitive stare on her face. "You have a great eye for fine china, don't you Suzushima?" Kyoya finally asked, Suzushima distracted. His body slouched in disappointment as Kanako turned so her back was facing us again, her composure not swaying one bit.  
"Huh?...You think? I've still got a lot to learn b-b-but thank you for the compliment." He said, bringing himself back from wherever his mind was, quickly answering. "I'm going to study abroad next month to learn even more you see, I'm moving to England" That statement affected Kanako the most. Although we couldn't see her face, the way her shoulders slouched in defeat told me a lot about what she thought of that little trip. As Suzushima hastily excused himself, I began to wonder how deep these two students went, especially to warrant such grief between them  
"So, you enjoying the Host Club?" Tamaki suddenly popped up, now standing next to Kanako. In all the drama I had completely forgotten about him, especially after he went back to his 'brooding-model-by-the-window' state when Haruhi wouldn't dance with him. He'd been quiet this whole time, why had he suddenly decided to chat now?  
"I get the feeling you and that guy are kinda close" Haruhi added, walking up to her. I followed suit, smirking as I asked just _how_ close we're talking about here. That question sparked another stuttering and shaking episode, Kanako strongly denying any connection with him whatsoever. Then just like that, she ran out the door, a goodbye hardly even passing her lips. Or at least, that's how it would have been until Mori decided to return to the room in that same moment. He charged like a ram through the door, slamming the heavy piece of wood straight into Kanako's flustered face. She crashed to the floor but before we could even ask if she was even OK, she had already began to totter unsteadily through open door now swung open, dazedly replying she was as fine as a flower.

"An...An injury..." Mori panted, a crying Honey clinging to his back. I raised an eyebrow, muttering out Mori's name in confusion. It turned out that Mori and Honey left the room for a 'private' dance lesson and in that time Mori had managed to step and crush poor Honey when he had fallen to the floor, causing some minor injuries. With Mori as Honey's devoted Male-Nanny, he had quickly rushed back to the Host Club to get it fixed. Haruhi, who was already getting used to the stupidity that went on in the Host Club, simply sighed and got out her first aid kit, tending to Honey's scratches without a word. I poked Honey's cheeks, causing him to look at me with his tear-stained face. I rolled my eyes.  
"It's not even that bad, man up will ya!" I told him, pinching his cheeks lightly. "My grandma once broke two rib cages and got a fractured hip while climbing halfway down Mount Fuji, But you know what? She still sucked it up and made it all the way down and trust me, it was a _looong_ way so I'm sure you can handle a little disinfectant, hmm?" I said, giving him that look I usually give him when his childishness annoyed me too much. He sniffed loudly, turning his head away from me to sulk, muttering with dignity he was fine. I then looked to a concerned Mori, who was kindly fixing the hole he made in the door and told him Honey only had a scratch and he would be fine. Mori looked at me with relief, giving me a small smile. I returned the friendly look with my own signature cheeky grin. It was the first time I've seen Mori smile so fondly, so I was glad to be the one it was directed to. I was beginning to think he lacked the muscles in his jaw to even accomplish such a feat so I was glad I was making progress with the silent giant. Once Haruhi finished bandaging up the wound, Honey then returned to his typical cheery self.

"HARU-CHAAAAN!" He sang, jumping onto her back, much to her chagrin. "Guess what? Suzushi-Chan and Kasuga-Chan know each other! Kasuga-Chan is his fiancé..." This statement caused me and Haruhi to let out a sound of interest, the prospect of gossip and the answer to our puzzle too good to escape our clutches. It also seemed to be news to Tamaki.  
"Kyoya, how long have you known about this?" Tamaki asked, folding his arms to look at him with suspicion.  
"About the two of them being engaged? Well as you know I conduct searches on all our customers," He said, finding the correct page in his binder and then reading the information out to us. What kind of person snoops around in other peoples business like that? I hope to god he hasn't looked at my criminal records, lets just say there's a few drunken nights with Rin I'd rather forget..."The two of them were childhood friends, it seems like their engagement was arranged by their parents. I didn't think the information would benefit us so I disregarded it." He concluded, snapping the folder up with a decisive _thud_.  
"Well then Kyoya, you clearly didn't account for the king's tendency to use this pointless information in some idiotic idea of his" I added, grinning widely. Kyoya had no other choice but to nod his head and agree with me, sighing as he did. That was when Kyoya launched into all the basic information about Suzushima, droning on and on in his monotone voice.  
"...Outstanding grades, great social status, he's ordinary looking but he's reliable. If I had to fault him for anything..." Kyoya listed off, me counting Suzushima's assets off with my fingers.  
"He doesn't have much presence-" Hikaru joined in,  
"-And he's faint-hearted" Kaoru continued.  
"So in other words...He''s boring." Kyoya concluded, nodding his head at his solid 'evidence'. I laughed at their answer, having never realised how ruthless they were when it came to other men. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've called Kyoya boring on more than one occasion. Perhaps it was because Suzushima was in the 'C' class in the school hierarchy? Ouran classes are decided on the principles of pedigree combined with grades, so even though he has one of the highest marks in the school, his heritage is what's keeping him from getting a higher class. It seemed ridiculous to me. These rich pricks are still living in the era where Lords, Ladies, Kings and Queens still matter, but at least me and Haruhi are in the highest class, 'A'. We were special because we were scholarship students you see, so it some ways it does make our lives easier and I had no intention to complain about the rule, no matter how silly it seemed to me.  
"Suzushima is a good boy, right?" Honey pondered as he sat on Mori's shoulders, his chin resting on Mori's head. Mori just answered in a gruff, 'yeah'. I was more interested in how nice it must be to have your bodyguard carry you around while you look down on everyone constantly. Maybe Mori will do it for me? Part time, of course.  
"Right everyone," Tamaki spoke up, gathering everyone's (mostly) undivided attention. "We'll have to work on our strategy..."  
"Which one?" The room asked, staring at the worked-up boy.  
"Men-Oh and Ayane as well-It is our responsibility as members of the elite Ouran Highschool Host Club to make every girl happy!" He cried, his eyes twinkling with determination.

And for a whole week, we went to work. Tamaki spent most of his energy in drawing out some elaborate scheme to get Kanako and Suzushima together, involving every member of the Host Club in some way or another. We didn't get much say in what happened, our role in rehearsal was mostly to nod our head and follow what the oaf was telling us to do, arguing not an option. I mostly stuck to this rule as well, majority of the time only because I had Kyoya and Haruhi on my back. But if a certain part of the plan was getting out of hand, it was in my nature to not-too-nicely point it out to him. The effort we all put into making this plan work also took a toll on me physically as well as mentally, not putting nearly as much energy into band practice because of my impending performance at the Christmas party. The girls noticed.

* * *

**_[4 days until the party...]_**

"_But is that all we could really hope for, because just-**ARGH**!_" I yelled, playing the wrong note on my guitar solo for the umpteenth time. I flung myself down onto a beanbag chair, moaning in despair as I realised how bad practice was going.  
"What the fuck Ayane!" Rin screamed, tapping her foot impatiently. "Can you not just fucking play the damn song right! We've played this song for two years now but all of a sudden you can't even get through the _first verse_!" I took a deep breath, refusing to show her my own anger, forcing a smile onto my face.  
"Hehe, Sorry Rin, you know how it is sometimes, you always say I'm a forgetful bitch. I guess my airhead is just higher up in the clouds today..." Rin growled at me, complaining to me that her dickhead of a boyfriend was already pissing her around, she didn't need to deal with this shit with me. "Well, you know you could always break up with the 'dickhead', because I'm pretty sure you're only still with him because of the dick between his legs..." I blurted out without thinking, grinning stupidly. Rin would have probably kicked my ass if Yui hadn't crashed through her drum set to stand in-between us, stuttering we should take a break. I hummed cheerfully as I took the offer, Rin scowling as she threw her guitar into her case.

Yuki, the youngest member, began to whine, blaming one set of people for all of this. The Host Club.  
"You see? Now we're fighting! This is all because of that stupid Host Club..." She exclaimed, tears gathering in her eyes. She really did cry much too easily and blame the Host Club-who she hasn't even met-for all our problems too much. "If you didn't have to go to that stupid party and perform your song in front of all those snobs, you could focus more on what's important. US!" As she burst into tears, kindhearted Yui rushing over to comfort her, Rin joined the Hate-The-Host-Club bandwagon.  
"You got that right!" Rin nodded eagerly, taking a swig of the cheap beer she had stolen from her parents. Her parents would let this out-of-control girl get away with murder is she wanted to, not putting it past Rin to attempt such a thing. "You and your bullshit about how 'they're not that bad' just shows how their money's manipulating you! You shouldn't have to take their shit, I told you I could get Tony and his gang to sort them out and-"  
"No thanks Rin, as fun as it would be to watch Kyoya's bodyguards absolutely destroy his gang before they even take one step through their security gate, I would prefer you _not_ to cause trouble for them" I laughed and rolled my eyes, hiding the fear that ran through me at the thought of the club finding out I'm associated with a notorious gang. The less they knew about my life, the better. Rin let out a sound of disgust, still not fond of the Host Club at all. I don't think any of them ever will be. "Look, lets just practice now, OK? The season finale of Sherlock is on in an hour and some of us can't afford Sky+HD." I said, picking up my guitar to play a practice note.

I gasped and let my precious guitar drop to the floor as pain shot up my fingers. My band all snapped to attention at my sudden cry of pain. Yui grabbed my hands, attempting to take off the gloves I had worn since the start of practice. She gave me her sternest look, which was about as threatening as an injured puppy, delicately pulling the fabric off once I scoffed and let her. She looked at my fingers in shock, seeing that all my fingers were full of blisters and cuts, her hands gently holding my injured ones. I chuckled, telling her in a light hearted tone I was fine and she was just overreacting. I couldn't help but wince however as Yui brushed over the swollen skin, her look one of disapproval at my pain filled gasps.  
"You never were good at taking care of yourself Ayane, always putting something-Like your music-in front of your health...But this is not something you can just laugh away!" She said quietly, rushing out the room to grab her first aid kit from the living room. We were all in Yui's room at the moment, it was where we regularly practised. It was how it was so easy for her to get the right medical stuff for me. The band, with their parents, all lived in the same apartment building, the only difference being the floor in which our rooms were situated. Yui lived in the highest floor so she naturally had the biggest apartment room out of all of us, which was why we always practised in her room opposed to anybody elses.  
"I told you I'm just-Ah!" I abruptly cut off what I was going to say, hissing quietly as Yui began to spread some medical cream on my wounds. As she began to bandage my hands, muttering about what I should do for them to heal quickly, Rin was now angrily blaming the Host Club for my injuries.  
"Don't you see Ayane? Men like them only want you for profit, you hear me? Money and sex is all they want from you, not giving two shits about what condition you are in to perform...Fuck those rich bastards!" Rin ranted, Yuki now joining in, happily involving everyone in the Host Club. _Everyone_.  
"Yeah! I bet that cross dressing one is making you do all this, just so she can get rid of her own debt faster!" She exclaimed, starting to cry again. Her comment of Haruhi made me clench my fists despite the pain it caused me. The fact they thought my Haruhi was lying about being my friend hurt much more than my hands, and more than she realised. "I bet she's going to just use and abuse you, then once she doesn't have to deal with the Host Club anymore, she'll drop her friendship with you and leave you all alone! Perhaps she's in cahoots with the Host Club, and they'll all laugh about it later..." I felt angry tears prick at my eyes at her words, the thought they-My closest friends-think it's impossible for me to even make a friend that could honestly like me was...Too much for words. When I noticed Yui look at me closely, calling out my name softly, I snapped out of it and began to laugh.  
"You guys can believe what you want, cause when me and my precious to-be-Waifu get married, you lot won't be invited!" I said, causing the tension in the room to dissolve, leaving behind only good-natured joking. Rin pulled a toothy grin, telling me she'll definitely find a better woman for me than that crossdresser. "Haha We'll see Rin cause if your taste in woman is as good as men, then god help us all" I giggled, packing my guitar to leave. I waved a quick goodbye to them, taking the stairs down to my floor and the shabby apartment I lived in, rushing to my room. I spent the majority of that night punching my pillow in frustration, biting my lip to stop the boiling tears from leaving my eyes...Aren't my friends the greatest?

* * *

**_[1 day until the party...]_**

"Alright everyone, that concludes the last minute run through of tomorrow's plan, I hope you all understand the role you play" Tamaki finished, smiling to himself as we were dismissed.  
"Roger that Tamaki but you better be right...I hope you're not wrong and it turns out Kanako is just **_really_ **into her teacups!" I called out as I left, my last image of Tamaki was his insulted expression. I didn't have practice today, Yuki's parents were going out to a fancy restaurant so she was stuck babysitting her annoying brat of a brother, leaving me free to go straight home. I travelled home with Haruhi as normal, listening to her worries about her dancing at the party with an amused look on my face, giving her a humorous piece of advice whenever it felt right. We eventually parted with a quick wave, Haruhi saying goodbye with a nervous smile, my goal of lessening her worry of tomorrow worked to some degree.

Once I got the door open, I kicked it shut and sighed, leaning against the frame heavily. I frowned deeply, rubbing my sore cheeks. It was like this most days, all the laughing and smiling left me feeling as if my jaw was about to fall off, my throat scratchy. Once I felt the rough patchy fur of George rub against my leg, I begrudgingly went to get the fur ball the cat food it was craving. Once I put the food down, I went to make myself a cup of tea. Staring into the tea cup, I thought about Kanako and how easy it was for her to remember Suzushima when she saw it. The look of nostalgia on her face when she gazed down it, probably thinking about the good times they both had as children. Unconscionably, I turned to face my bedroom door, gently swinging since I had forgotten to close it this morning. From the position I was at, I could see my dresser and what was on it. Most of it was typical stuff; Hairbrush, hair gel, headbands, make-up, a dozen scattered hair pins...And the single most important thing in my possession, a brooch. It a little larger than an average brooch, a silver musical note that fit into the palm of my hand, orange crystals wedged into the circular gaps of the treble clef design. It was quite simple and although the most expensive piece of jewellery I owned, it was the sentimental value that made it so priceless. You could say that brooch was my teacup, reminding me of better times with a boy...I shook my head firmly, blinking the tears out of my eyes as I remembered Kichiro, the one who gave me such a trinket. I didn't need to deal with this right now! I had the party to concentrate on, Kyoya should be the only boy I should be thinking about at the moment and _only_ because of his importance to my performance. But even as I think that, I had already drifted over to my room where my hand went to grab the piece of jewellery. Stroking it gently, it soothed my worries, letting any doubt about tomorrow wash over me slowly. I flopped down onto my bed, thoughts swirling in my head: Of the party, of the Host Club, of Kanako, even my band was on my mind. But there was only one thought that stayed planted there, Kichiro. I felt sadness bubble up inside of me, a feeling I only ever expressed when I was alone. Every time I think of Kichiro, I always eventually think of my dad and let's just say those are **_not_** happy memories. As I tried to tame the tears that threatened to escape, I forced myself into a slumber, knowing I would need my rest for tomorrow, just as I would need to quell the desperate loneliness I felt around this time of year. After all, it was Christmas eve tomorrow and my negative feelings of the holiday should not be shown to the cheery customers. But at least this year if I go to the party, I might not have to spend this holiday alone...

* * *

**_[0 days until the party...]_**

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated!** _What do you think of the little teaser of Ayane's backstory? Are you interested? Do you already have any theories about who Kichiro is or what her dad did? What do you think of the band, their view of the Host Club and the way they treat Ayane? Did you like the insight of how Ayane really is, very sad and lonely? And what do you think of how bad Ayane's part of town really is?_

I thought I would save the party for the next chapter, so you'll have to wait for that, sorry! :) Anyway, I told you I would add a little hint towards Ayane's backstory and I did! I will do an actual flashback in the next chapter, but even then, there is more to this 'cheery girls' life than you think :0 She does have a quite complex backstory, not hard to understand but will need to be explained in more than just one go, so sections of her past will be revealed slowly and it won't be in one go. You will find out about them when something happens that is similar to something in her past, we will start with this 'Kichiro' boy as Kanako and the teacup reminded her of the boy and her brooch. Her dad will be next, but more than one flashback will be needed to explain why she hates him.

So first things first, I decided to show you how the band really perceive the host club and rich kids in general, and show how mean Rin and, to some extent, Yuki can be. I think there will be some rivalry for the award of being Ayane's 'true' group of friends when they finally meet, but that won't be for a while so for now she will see the band and the host club separately. I also added the part about her blistered hands from playing too much to show, first of all, how bad Ayane really is at taking care of herself and how much she relies on other people to help her with the simplest things. And secondly, how passionate she is about her music and although is is a very carefree person without a worry, she does try hard at the things she loves.

I also added a little sprinkle of information about where she lives and the people she associates herself with. She is clearly not hanging around with a bunch of Honey-type people :) As you can see, I made Rin the really bad bitch of the group, who has a boyfriend that is the leader of the worst gang in town and is not afraid to get pissed and beat somebody up. I think she is softer underneath her hard shell, but her shell is industrial duty metal so its a little hard to break it LOL :) And she hates the host club probably because she is used to living in the survival of the fittest type world of the ghetto, so she really distrusts rich people, and she may even be a little jealous of their lives? And I added the bit about the parents since it her parents, who she still lives with, don't cares about her at all and this may be why she is so bitchy and rude?. Yuki is just the whiny/annoying little princess of the group. The type of spoiled brat who bats an eye at her parents and gets her way. She hates the thought of Ayane having other friends so she automatically hates the host club because of her clingy and possessive nature. Yui is the normal one of the group, sort of like the lovechild of Haruhi and Mori :) She is very kindhearted and caring, but she is very shy and doesn't like the fights that always break out between Ayane and Rin. I think she doesn't like the Host Club but is not vocal of her opinion, letting Ayane do what she wants. She is the voice of reason and the most mature.

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

**_P.S._**

**_To the reviewer who asked about this turning into a Yuri, don't worry. I have decided that Haruhi will definitely end up with Tamaki, and Ayane will fall for a boy in the host club! I haven't decided who yet, so you readers can have as much say as you want in it. Later on when Ayane is really close to the boy's I would appreciate some ideas you want to see for scenes with her and the boy of your choice :)  
BUUUUT, I will warn you that Ayane and Haruhi are really close friends,so they will hold hands and hug and Ayane will flirt with her and occasionally call her her wife/waifu LOL_**


	10. Crackin' Christmas party with mistletoe?

_**[No days left until the party...]**_

* * *

**-December 24th**

**-5:00PM**

**-CENTRAL CAMPUS**  
**-LARGE HALL**

* * *

"It is so good to see you here tonight, my little lambs." Tamaki announced, greeting the entire hall of girls from the grand staircase. "The Ouran Host Club would like to bid you...Welcome" He finished, taking a deep bow. While the giant chandelier's candles flickered on one by one, giving the beautiful hall a warm glow, the full orchestra set slowly began to play a faint and classical piece. A spotlight then focused on the red carpeted staircase, highlighting all the members of the Host Club who were lined up across it. The girls gasped as they saw us, all smart and pristine in our formal wear, clapping happily at the reveal while comments quickly flew around the room.  
"As always Ladies, the Host Club is here for your entertainment, so we invite you to dance to your heart's content." Kyoya began, smirking at the girls. "Based on your dancing skills, one lucky young Lady will be chosen as tonight's queen. The queen's reward will be a passionate kiss on the cheek from our King." I stopped myself from laughing out loud at the comment, not wanting to draw negative attention to myself while standing center stage. I just found it so funny how these innocent girls find a kiss on the cheek _passionate_, the thought of a cute little kiss on someone's cheek as something saucy wasn't comprehensible to me. But perhaps I've just had more experiences than these ladies? After all, I do have that cute babysitter that watches next doors kid, she asked me out the other night. I'm about 90% sure she's hoping for a little action at her place afterwards as well...  
"...Good luck to you, my Darlings~" Tamaki said in a hushed voice, holding out his hand and winking invitingly. The Host Club really went all out with their suits, all specially measured and tailored to their looks. Tamaki had on a crisp white suit that complimented his skin tone beautifully, his baby pink shirt and violet tie brought out his rare purple orbs in a subtle way. He was as pretty as a girl! The girls loved his look though, all of them screaming and cheering for him as the blonde blew them kisses.

It made me roll my eyes and laugh cheerfully as Haruhi looked at the girls with exasperation. The Twins noticed.  
"Haruhi, show some enthusiasm!" The twins told her off, raising an eyebrow at her wallflower-like behaviour. It made sense that the twins would pull her up on that as they were in charge of the Las-Vegas style Casino they had in the room next door, a room Kyoya had already 'banned' me from. But like hell I would listen to him, I had already figured out a way to sneak past the twins who (just to mess with me) also refused to let me be part of the fun. The twins were even dressed up just like dealers; very expensive, brown tartan-patterned vests over their white and black shirts, a dark green bow tie to finish off the look.  
"Well excuse me, sorry." Haruhi mumbled in annoyance, a deep frown on her face. "I'm not used to this sort of thing, I've only ever gone to the festivals made by my neighbourhood park..."  
"Well that's all the more reason to embrace it!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "I mean, this isn't the sort of party I'm used to-As you heard when me and Kyoya were arguing-But that doesn't mean we can't jump in and enjoy the new experience. We should live every day to the fullest and experience these chances, these _free_ chances, since I'm pretty sure I'm never going to go to another one of these rich parties again." I grinned widely, Haruhi looking surprised by my unusually smart view of the situation.  
"Wow Ayane, that's really an intelligent observation, I'm quite impress-"  
"You're not allowed into the casino Ayane!" The twins suddenly announced, cutting Haruhi off. I pouted, moaning that I tried.  
"_Humph_, thanks for making my night shit guys, no alcohol and now no gambling...I hate this stupid snobby party, I can't wait till I go home and don't have to see your faces till after new years" I sighed dramatically, pulling a silly face at them to show I was joking. Haruhi clicked on to my previous statement and realised I wasn't being a smart at all, giving me a disappointed look. I just returned the look with a stupid grin on my face, laughing quietly. Kyoya piped up that he doesn't think that festivals class as a party-neither do those hosted by drunken frat boys with no class. I turned to look at the shadow king, seeing him write in his usual black notebook, the same colour as his suit and as dark as his soul. I couldn't help but admit to myself however that he looked just as handsome as the other boys, wearing a fitted navy blue vest and purple tie underneath his blazer. "Just because you don't go out and have a good time with unique people doesn't mean everybody else stays at home and judges guys while starting homework for _3 years_ from now" I giggled, rolling my eyes. He just gave me a stern look, not needing to tell me off with words, daring me to start another staring contest with him. I swear he loves to argue and scold me like I'm a child or something, perhaps that's just his way of making friends with me? Like how little boys always torture and bully the girl they like?

"Well, since you're both here, you might as well get something to eat, we've got quite a selection." He eventually said, his glare softening as he finished telling me off. Me and Haruhi's eyes light up at the thought. Of course, how could I forget? These are _rich_ people, who are hosting a _rich_ party, which means they probably have food more expensive than my apartment!  
"Will you have fancy tuna?" Haruhi quietly asked, embarrassed.  
"WOW! That means you have fancy sushi, right? Please tell me you have fancy sushi!?" I begged to know, rushing over to Kyoya and giving him my best puppy dog look-which was a delicate blend of cute and sexy. Kyoya grip suddenly tightened and broke his pen at my actions, his expression stone cold as if he's reached some sort of epiphany.  
"FANCY **TUNA**!?...FANCY **SUSHI**!?" The boy's all yelled, looking at us with utter shock, astounded by our words. Tamaki, who was flirting with the girls on the far right balcony, climbed over the balcony fence and jumped the long distance to us. He landed in a flawless crouch, casually standing up and fixing his suit like he hadn't just done something ridiculously obscure. Me and Haruhi raised an eyebrow at his eccentric actions...All we asked if they had our favorite food here in fancy form! Tamaki shouted at Kyoya-Who whipped out his phone the moment he addressed-and told him to order some fancy tuna _right now_!  
"Better get the _extra_ deluxe sushi as well." Kyoya added, ordering the food for us as Mori ran off to collect it from the main lobby. Meanwhile the twins had gone around the side of me and Haruhi to herd us both into a group hug. The boy's had tears in their eyes as they hugged us out of pity, gently rubbing their head against the top of ours and muttering about how 'cute' we were for being so poor and not having the simplest things. Even Honey popped up and said he had containers to take it home if we wanted, making us feel even worse about asking. Haruhi blushed deeply at the embarrassment of the situation, muttering she hated stupid rich kids while I began to push against the twins embrace.  
"For god's sake guys we don't need some sort of pity party!" I complained, not liking the way they thought of themselves so superior to us. "You know what, forget the stupid fancy food, I don't even wan-Oh my, Kyoya...I-I-Is that the** fancy sushi!?**" I gasped, my eyes widening at the sight of the platter.

It was a work of art, the sushi intricately decorated and positioned on the platter so that if you looked at it from above, it was in the shape of a giant piece of sushi. I felt my mouth water at the sight and by the way Kyoya's smirked widened when he saw my expression, he knew he had me hooked. He bowed, saying that 'dinner was served' in an amused tone. I attacked the defenceless boy. I rushed over and almost rugby tackled him, grabbing a piece and not even taking the time to look at it before I crammed it into my mouth, tasting the rich flavour. The expensive ingredients truly showed with a burst of flavour as I began to moan with pleasure at eating such delicate food. I didn't pause to breathe as I inhaled the entire platter for myself, eating it with such urgency the boys probably thought I hadn't eaten in a month. At some point, Kyoya tried to take one for himself but I just growled at him and snatched it back from his clutches, possessively pulling the platter closer to me. Tamaki was getting better treatment, albeit only slightly better, but nicer all the same. Haruhi was presented her tuna by Tamaki, who happily thought they could share it together and maybe even feed each other like cutesy lovers or something, but Haruhi had other plans. Once she saw it, she didn't cram it down her throat ravenously like me, choosing to appreciate the look and texture of such a dish before chewing properly and swallowing. However, once she tasted the dish, her eyes lighting up like a child in a toystore, she quickly devoured the course at an astonishing rate. Tamaki, who had foolishly tried to use the 'Lady and the Tramp' technique on her rightfully got a slap to the wrists and an unappreciative grunt from her, pushing him back into depression mode and causing him to sulk in his corner, the poor customers confused as to how to snap him out of it.

We both eventually finished our meals and while Haruhi walked away to fix Tamaki, I sat down to wait out the bloated feeling I got from eating too much. Kyoya was sitting across from me.  
"I presume you enjoyed your first 'fancy' meal?" He chuckled, staring at me in amusement. I answered with a satisfied sigh, resting my head on the table. "Yes, I noticed you ate more like a ravenous wolf than a refined lady" He admitted, his voice half attempting to tell me off but was mostly filled with humour. A smirk appeared on my face as I laughed and said I never tried to act like a 'refined' lady and I don't ever plan to either. Kyoya just chuckled, staring at me fondly. He stayed like that, gazing at me with a curious expression, his thoughts a mystery to me.  
"What?" I finally asked, not liking the silence he'd formed between us. He just shook his head, mumbling about me still looking the part of a beautiful lady even if I didn't act like one. I blinked in surprise at his words, expecting him to scold me for something as opposed to a compliment. I finally smirked at his words, never the sort of person to turn down a free compliment. "Thanks Kyoya, I must admit I was surprised when you went all 'Gok Wan' on me and chose my dress for tonight but you're looking pretty sexy yourself so you must be doing something right" I joked, giggling at him. This dress was a borrowed dress from someone he knew, an older sister who had kept her old clothes that didn't fit her anymore, I think? It was a deep rich blue, a corset on top before it flared out slightly at the bottom, one side higher than the other as the skirt was pinched up on my left side where a large purple bow was pinned. There was also another layer underneath the strapless dress, so dark purple ruffles bordered the skirt, tickling my knees and upper left thighs. Dark Purple ribbon was also what laced the corset up, my usual plain black headband replaced by a silk black bow. It was while he was staring at me that I began to notice my dress complimented his perfectly, our colour scheme matching. This boy was sneakier than I thought. I suppose he did it because of our 'special' performance later as part of the 'Get Kanako hitched' plan but to be honest I can never figure out what he's really up to, my intelligence not the greatest, especially compared to him.

I turned to look at the host's who were all on the dancefloor, dancing with grace and beauty (except Honey, who was just childishly getting spun around). The girls all crowded round the dance floor eagerly waiting for their turn to dance with the host of their choice, the room filled with the usual squealing fangirls and sighs of affection. Not liking the fact I wasn't the life of the party as I normally was, sitting quietly and being kept out of the action not my usual plan, I decided it was time I did something. I knew that if I sat down and stayed quiet at a party for too long, my mind tended to drift to darker thoughts I preferred to keep at home, which was the reason I always tried to be loud and laughing at such an event even if I didn't like the party I was dragged to. I got up and neatened the ruffles on my dress, turning to Kyoya who was fixated on writing in his notebook, recording everything in sight. I tap him on his shoulder, catching his attention.  
"You wanna have a little warm up dance before we do the real thing?" I asked, taking his pen. "You really must learn to stop writing in your diary like a 12 year old girl all the time" I laughed, teasingly poking him with his fountain pen. He frowned, trying to take his pen back. I giggled and ran onto the dancefloor, mouthing at him that if he wants it back, he's going to have to dance with me. He sighed dramatically, glaring at me sternly before getting up and walking onto the dancefloor.  
"Must you always be so difficult?" He muttered, holding out his hand for the pen. I gave him a mischievous grin, taking the pen and hiding it in between my breasts where it snuggly stayed there out of sight with no chance of leakage. Kyoya's eyes widened at my bold act, fixing his glasses as if to check I really did that before sighing and taking out his pocket watch. "I suppose we better start the real thing now anyway, the King had already given us the signal and it is my job to be the punctual one at these sort of events." He announced, wandering off to give the band the new music sheet as Tamaki not-so-subtly began to jump up and down like a lunatic, waving his arms at us like a monkey.

While Kyoya went to sort out the orchestra, I scanned the room for Haruhi, who had eluded my gaze since the start of the party. I finally found her leaning against a pillar, smiling faintly at the dancing-girls, preferring to enjoy watching the dancing instead of being a part of it. It seemed like the sort of thing Haruhi preferred, so I didn't bother going over to little wallflower, knowing she was having a good time in her own way. It was at that last thought that I saw Kanako walking up to her as if to talk. I couldn't make out the words clearly but I definitely heard the word 'dance' in there, Haruhi smiling and holding out her hand for her. The moment their fingers touched however, the twins, Honey and Mori expertly weaved their way through the crowd and grabbed Haruhi, stealthily running off with her in their grasp. I looked to Tamaki in shock, seeing him wink at me before he carried on dancing with his current customer, like nothing happened. Poor Kanako was the most confused however as she awkwardly froze on the dancefloor, not sure why Haruhi was kidnapped. I couldn't console the worried girl though as I heard Kyoya announce to everyone to clear a space on the dancefloor, a very special performance was about to begin.

The lights dimmed down as a spotlight was cast down on me, a headset given to me ready to project my voice. As I walked into the middle of the stage, my clicking heels echoing in the silent room, the tense girls were shocked to see another spotlight aim towards the staircase where Kyoya was patiently waiting. The orchestra started up, the strings section very prominent as they began to play a sensual and romantic piece. The tune still upbeat and lively enough to show that the dance accompanying it wasn't just a walk in the park. I took a deep breath and began to sing, ready to execute this performance perfectly.

**As I look at you, staring back at me,**  
**In our own world of pure ****seclusion.** _(Kyoya descends gracefully from the stairs as I reach my hand out to him from across the room)_  
**You're oblivious, though it was obvious**  
**I can sense your infatuation...** (_He makes it down to the bottom step as I twirl closer to him_)  
**The tick of the clock, the beat of my heart**  
**Hiding for now, so I may depart.** _(I pretend to show nerves through my dancing, always turning my face away from Kyoya and dancing away from him as he advances)_  
**I breath deep, your heart I will keep, **_(We stop and turn to look at each other, I blow him a kiss as he winks at me before we dance in a circling motion)_  
**I feel so intoxicated! **_(We stop circling each other as I sang the last word, running up to each other so our outstretched hands are inches apart)  
_  
**Ordinary feelings of true love, and I, know I, ****will trap you in true embrace. **(_He grips my hand and we began to truly shine as he spins me round and round, my skirt flying up as if I was a ballerina before h__e changes the way he spins me as I spin around, under and over his arms, our teamwork magnificent.)  
_**Eagerly I wait for my prince **_(we let go and spin alone before we quickly connect hands as we stand side to side, trotting, stepping and flicking our feet and legs in sync.)  
_**And I, Know I, won't leave a trace... **_(he grabs me and pulls me into a deep dip, my feet pointing to the sky)  
_**Not all things are clear, though the words I speak sincere, ****so you drop your defenses for me. **_(We depart and dance at opposite sides of the room, our arms and feet hitting every move with elegance and grace.)  
_**If you dare to know, you drink the poison of love so slow,  
****Savor every tainted drop for me...**

**Rusting from time, the chains fall apart, **_(I spin to the centre of the room, my feet a blur.)_  
**As stars align, you dare to depart.**  
**Pure moments...Echoing by...The more you seem to fight~ **_(I crash to the floor, landing on my knees and clutching the dress, where my heart would be)_  
**I see myself, dancing within your memories and thoughts, **_(Kyoya also spins, jumping in the air before landing on the floor with one knee raised, if as about to propose)_  
**Though you act like you haven't been tangled in the web of love! **_(I slowly rise, looking at each other before Kyoya slides across the floor, stopping just in front of me)_  
**  
**

**Ordinary feelings of true love, and I, know I, **_(He stands before dipping me slightly, pushing me back before propelling me away from him.)_  
**will trap you in true embrace. **_(I rush toward him again as he grabs my hips and lifts me into the air effortlessly, slowly spinning me around as I arch my arms over my head.)_  
**Eagerly I await for my prince to come, **  
**Won't you come and make me yours? **_(He lifts me down but doesn't let one hand leave my hip as we start to do a standard ballroom dance, his other hand meeting my outstretched one as we do the 'quick, quick slow' motion)_  
**I see myself, dancing within your memories and thoughts,**  
**Though you act like you haven't been tangled in the web of love. **_(He spins me and lets me go as he wanders over to the edge of the excited crowd.)_**  
**  
**When you think back to this day, you will smile **_(He grabs a rose off of Tamaki, who was watching it from the front of the circle of girls, smells it, before passing it to me with a smirk)_  
**And I'll fall deep in love with you... **_(__I gently grab his cheek, caressing it softly as I pull his head down by his neck for a hug)_

We were breathless, our chests rising and falling rapidly as we thrived gain our breath, me grinning like an idiot at what we just accomplished. The crowd were astounded, the cheers and cries of the whole room's adoration surrounding me and Kyoya in an excited explosion of clapping. We bowed to each other before turning to bow to our fans, me laughing loudly as I ran across the front row and gave everyone in sight a high five, the adrenaline still pumping through me. I ran back to centre stage, winking and blowing kisses as Kyoya once again explained to the roaring crowd of the merchandise they can buy from me. I turned to him, giving him another hug that ignited the crowd into another fit of cheers.  
"I think you've got a new set of customers, Kyoya." I giggled, looking up at him. I was so short compared to Kyoya that I'd only managed to hug his waist. He simply chuckled.  
"I wouldn't pull yourself short Ayane, the star is always the lead singer, I'm just the back-up dancer" He said, nodding his towards the crowd. "These are _your_ fans Ayane, cheering for _you_."  
"I guess you're right, but I can't help but compliment the best manager I've ever had!" I exclaimed, grinning widely. "I've never had a manager also work as my dance partner before, especially a boring business does-taxes-for-fun kinda guy like you!" Kyoya sighed at my description of him, glancing at me with a weary look before just shaking his head and dragging me away from the centre of attention, despite my cries of protest. As Kyoya took me down an obscure hallway, closing the door to the main hall, I saw one last glimpse of the party atmosphere before it was shut behind me, closed off to me until we finished solving our Kanako situation.

We eventually made it into an unknown room. Inside was the kidnappers of Haruhi Fujioka and a long drawn curtain where a certain grumbling girl could be heard.  
"Huh?" I said looking at them in confusion. This definitely was not part of the initial plan, did they change something yesterday? I wouldn't know since I may have fallen asleep during the final meeting, not thinking it was important. Boy was I wrong...  
"No time to explain, go help Haruhi change" The twins said, shoving me through the curtain without another word. I stumbled through it and barely landed on my feet, glancing at Haruhi with a grin on my face.  
"Aw how cute, they kidnapped you to force you into a dress..." I cooed, earning a glare off of Haruhi.  
"Just come on and help me with this wig...And I might need a hand with the makeup too..." She mumbled, sitting down with a huff. I grinned, telling her in my best 'gay' voice that I'm going to make her look 'fabulous darling'. After 15 minutes of Haruhi fidgeting and me forcing my tired hands to keep steady and not shake, I managed to make her look presentable. While I made some small changes to my masterpiece, I overheard Kyoya.  
"A little accident towards the end of the night would be quite thrilling, Ayane's performance will only satisfy the guests hunger for entertainment for so long" Kyoya told the boy's, Honey agreeing with an enthusiastic shriek. "And remember girls, There are only twenty minutes remaining before the party reaches its climax. Suzushima is already waiting for Haruhi at the opposite room across the hall and Ayane will keep Kasugasaki busy while Haruhi does her portion of the plan. Then she can subtly lead her to the same room where the two lovers will meet for a 'romantic reunion'."

Once he'd finished going over the plan, I pulled the curtain back to reveal a transformed Haruhi. She was wearing a simple pink full length gown, her hair now as long as it was in middle school with heavy make-up applied generously to her face. She was almost unrecognisable.  
"You have to ask them how they feel, Ok?" Honey advised, nodding his head enthusiastically.  
"Erm, we know this is the bosses strategy, but it is kinda unnerving..." The twins mumbled, looking at Haruhi as they added the final touches to her makeup. Before I could make my own comment, finding Haruhi looking as adorable as always, the door burst open.

"Gentleman, there you are! What are you doing here?" Tamaki said, the one who had flung open the door. "The guests are waiting for-" He cut off as Haruhi rose from her seat, his face full of shock. The longer he looked at her, the more his face showed a man full of bliss, a light dusting of red across his cheeks. Me and the twins walked over to him, a giant grin on our faces as the three of us knew the reason for his sudden silence.  
"So, what do you think?" The twins said, a smug expression on their face as if they were the one who did the make-up. They only did the finishing touches, I did the major work!  
"Hey, hey, stop kissing ass guys, we all know who created this beauty!" I butt in, sticking my tongue out at them.  
"YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Honey cried, clutching Usa-Chan tighter as he watched Haruhi begin to walk around, his sparkling eyes watching her every movement. Haruhi wasn't so impressed by her new look however.  
"My face feels heavy and it's hard to walk in these shoes..." Haruhi grumbled in frustration. That's when I finally noticed the stiff and jerky way Haruhi was walking. I rolled my eyes, knowing she probably hadn't worn heels for very long or even at all. I moved over to Haruhi, telling her the best way to walk in them.  
"It's easier if you take small steps and walk from heel to toe," I instructed, bending down to watch her technique closer. "If you stand straight you shouldn't feel as wobbly and if you slip these insoles in here you shouldn't get blistering and whatever you do, **do not touch your face or else your makeup will ruin!**" Haruhi sighed with relief as I told her these things, smiling as I brushed some stray hair from her face. I returned the smile gladly, enjoying our beautiful 'couple moment' until-  
"Good luck girls!" The twins cried, tearing us apart and pushing us to our designated rooms, their fists raised in encouragement.

While the boys watched us go, Tamaki still mumbling painfully about how pretty she looked, I shouted out one last word of encouragement to Haruhi. After she returned the favour, I blindly walked into what I thought seemed like a live action game of 'Where's Wally?'. I mean, It surely can't be _that_ hard to find a rich girl wearing a designer dress and clutching a prada bag in _this_ place, right? Knowing I was short on time, I rushed to the main hall, scanning the cluster of girls. But it seemed I didn't have to look very long as my target had decided to come to me on her own, wanting to talk to me anyway.  
"Ayane, there you are!" Kanako said, gliding over to my side. "I don't suppose you know where Haruhi is, do you? I was wanting to dance with him, you see, but then he was-"  
"You're such an idiot." I cut her off, making her stare at me with a wounded expression.  
"E-E-Excuse me?" She gasped, offended by my sudden statement. I guess I'm not the most subtle person...  
"Well you are acting like one, Kanako" I said, rolling my eyes. "No matter what tactics you use to make him jealous, wandering around the Host Club like some vanilla whore isn't going to work when we both know you're happiest when gazing into a teacup" Kanako eyes lit up at my words, her expression thoughtful as she considered my observation. Then she looked to the floor with a smile so full of sadness on her delicate face, crushing her beauty.  
"...It's Ok...he doesn't care about what I do...He's decided to study abroad by himself too..." She told me quietly, her face reflecting the heartache inside. I wasn't buying her 'Oh woe is me' crap though, it takes a lot for me to truly sympathise with someone and this whole situation sounded like this couple can't just pick up a phone and _communicate!_ I mean, some things in life can't really be as bad as you think they are, right?  
"Oh please, spare me the sob story" I laughed, rolling my eyes. "You didn't even try to ask him why he's going or how he felt about this little trip, he's a bastard for not explaining himself but if you keep acting like the clueless little housewife that stays out of his affairs then _of course_ he's not going to tell you! You're just going to end up staying out of his life and his heart at this rate...Start acting like the strong, independent woman you are girl and _demand_ an explanation." I say, snapping my fingers in an attempt to be sassy. I think I did it perfectly.  
"Ayane..." She whispered, looking at me with realisation, my efforts finally hitting her. We were slowly making our way to the room at this rate, our feet already carrying us down the corridor.  
"Look, he seems like a nice guy and a hard worker at that," I said, calming down and softening my voice. "He's probably going to improve his tableware knowledge so that when he finally does inherit his family's company, he can support his family-You-and become the capable guy you keep telling him he isn't. Seriously, you were being a total bitch about it, you need to learn to be more subtle when criticising people" Kanako eyes lit up with understanding at my words, laughing softly at my last thought. "Go get 'em, tiger and catch your man." I said, winking. With those parting words, I stopped to open the door, revealing Suzushima so they united and lived happily ever after...Or at least, I wished that had happened.

I opened the door to find Suzushima going to thank Haruhi, the conversation obviously worked by Haruhi's satisfied expression. But in Kanako's eyes, Suzushima was reaching a hand out to an unknown pretty girl clutching a love letter in her hand, her expression one of a girl who's just got the boy she's been chasing. The atmosphere dramatically changed. They froze in surprise, Suzushima uttered Kanako's name softly, his hand reaching out for her uselessly but she was too upset to stick around for an explanation. Her head drooped, her hair clouding her eyes as she began to shake.  
"Erm, this isn't-" I began, tears already streaming down her face.  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you too, I just...Urgh!" She didn't finish her sentence as she broke down, her shoulders shaking while huge sobs escaped her. Before I could even blink she had ran off, not wanting anyone to see her cry. As she blindly sped away, Suzushima pursued her without pause, our targets running off in a fit of emotions. Me and Haruhi looked at each other.  
"It looks like we just made matters worse" Haruhi said, walking to my side.  
"Yeah, that's not the sort of love-filled reunion you see in movies, huh?" I agreed, staring at the end of the corridor where they had carried on their game of tag, the targets having turned around the corner and out of our sights.  
"But he did go running after her" A voice echoed back, startling us. We turned to see Tamaki, looking down the same corridor as we were. Me and Haruhi smiled, understanding what he meant.

As we all walked down the corridor together, Tamaki telling us to go to the main balcony to watch the magic happen, we met a smug looking Kyoya on the way. I ran up to him.  
"What are you looking so full of yourself for? I mean more than usual as well..." I giggled, raising an eyebrow as his smirk grew wider. He didn't reply with words, simply tilting his head towards the balcony door. We all went through and peered down just in time to see Suzushima catch up to Kanako. Just as he grabbed her wrist, the most magnificent thing happened. The giant christmas tree like up, every row glaring at us in brilliant technicolor orbs of light, the large star on top shining the brightest. Once Kanako and Suzushima got their bearings, Tamaki began to speak.  
"Ladies and gentlemen," He began, as all the balcony doors opened and let the party guests flood outside. "It is now time for us to begin the final dance of this evening's festivities. The last waltz of the night has been chosen by the Host Club for _this_ couple" Tamaki fondly announced, pointing to the bewildered couple in question. Suzushima let go of her wrist, taking a deep breath and regaining some confidence before bowing and holding out his hand.  
"Princess Kasugasaki" He said, calmly asking for her hand. "May I have this dance?" Kanako stood there unsure, hesitant to take his hand. I sighed.  
"For god's sake, will you just take his hand and dance with the boy or else I'll come down there and slap the both of you!" I yelled down, cupping my hand over my mouth to project my threat to them. Kanako didn't need any other help as she gently placed her hand in his firm one, breathing out an awed 'yes'.

I watched them dance with a faint smile on my lips, finding their simple and innocent dance much more enjoyable than my complex and heated performance with Kyoya. It was the way they smiled at each other, the obvious affection they felt for each other shining as they shared their love through the steps, their joined hands the tether to the love flowing between them. I leaned on the balcony fence as I watched them, knowing the Host Club behind me felt the exact same feeling I felt from them as they watched. Tamaki wasn't joking, the Host Club really does try to make **every** girl happy, and I think we can safely say that this girl is ecstatic right now. If only they could solve my boy problems with a pep talk...I briefly glanced to my side so see Honey leaning over the balcony with me, laughing happily at the couple's rekindled love. But it was out of the corner of my eye that I noticed the twins were more concentrated on eating...A banana? I couldn't question it however as the music had died down and their dance came to an end.  
"May this awkward couple forever be blessed!" Tamaki cried out, dramatically reaching his arms out and almost knocking Haruhi down in the process. While I laughed at Haruhi's annoyed expression, Hikaru grabbed a microphone and announced we had decided on the queen of the ball.  
"Ooh, I hope its me!" I whispered in mock excitement to Honey, crossing my fingers.  
"The winner is Princess Kanako Kasugasaki" Kaoru proclaimed, copying the mischievous grin on his brothers face.  
"Drat! I was so sure I would win, I voted for myself as part of the Host Club judging process...Well, there's always next year!" I told Honey, who just laughed and said I was funny. I returned his comment with a huge grin, knowing it was true. Everyone happily cheered for Kanako's win however, the girls commenting on how cute she looked with Suzushima. Kanako's face beamed with happiness, everything about tonight gone perfect for her.  
"And for her reward..." Kaoru started,  
"A kiss on the cheek from the king!" Hikaru finished. Tamaki did his signature pose, asking huskily if she was ready.  
"Haruhi Fujioka will stand in for Tamaki" Kaoru suddenly added, causing me, Tamaki and Haruhi to freeze in shock. While Tamaki looked desperately at the twins for them to say it's not true, I was grinning widely.  
"Aw Haruhi, your first lesbian experience, I'm so proud!" I gushed, laughing at her detested face. "I was always hoping it would be me but Kanako is a cool girl so I'll let her take this first experience...There will be many others left for me anyway" I added, shrugging my shoulders at her urked expression.  
"Kyoya did say a little accident towards the end of the night might make the evening more thrilling for everyone." The twins languidly explained to Tamaki, shrugging their shoulders in a helpless gesture.

Meanwhile, Suzushima was consoling Kanako. He gently patted her shoulders and told her it was only a kiss on the cheek so he didn't mind. That was when Hikaru conveniently announced that to bless the 'best couple of the ball's' future, Ayane Kurone will also present a kiss on the cheek to Toru Suzushima. I blinked at them in surprise, my mouth forming an 'O' at the news. I guess it's not so funny when _I'm_ the one kissing the wrong gender. I felt my lips form a pout at the news, shaking my head and childishly complaining I wasn't about to kiss some boy as if I was five years old and still believed in cooties. A spell of depression was cast over Haruhi as well, who was also muttering angrily about being volunteered for such a thing without any say in it.  
"If you do it, we'll cut both of your debts down by 1/3" Kyoya smoothly told us, casually writing in his notebook. Our ears pricked up at that, our mood changing as we quickly considered going for it. I mean, it's only an innocent peck on the cheek...  
"If I kiss him on the lips, will my debt get cut by 2/3?" I innocently asked, causing Kyoya to just angrily glare at me. I raised my hands up in defense and quickly departed, not wanting to push it and lose my chance at even losing 1/3. Haruhi eventually caught up to me, dragging her feet slowly as she tried to brace herself for what was to come. I could hear her mumbling under her breath that it was only a kiss on the cheek and she'll be fine. I scoffed.  
"Trust me Haruhi, you're getting the better end of the deal here" I said, smiling slightly. "I just hope this boy shaved properly because I'm not used to kissing someone with stubble on their cheek" Haruhi just looked at me, mumbling that we should just get it over with and leave. I agreed.

As all four of us met at the bottom of the stairs, I looked up to see Mori standing on the side, holding up a clump of mistletoe over our heads. I refrained from making a comment, just barely managing not to laugh. I did however manage to catch Honey commenting that this was probably my first kiss from a boy and Haru-Chan's first kiss in general. Me and Haruhi prepared our partners, tilting their head to the side and bending down (Or in my case, straining up on my tiptoes while standing 5 steps higher than where Suzushima was stood) to kiss their cheek. Just as we were about to seal the deal, I could briefly hear Tamaki screaming about stopping the kiss and that's when everything was wrong from there. I felt a hand pushing on my back and the pressure caused me to shift my hands so his head was facing forwards again, my lips involuntarily crashing into his. I fell into him as I toppled over in my heels, my hands moving to clutch his shirt to steady myself as I was forced to kiss him deeply, both of our eyes flinging open in surprise. We pulled away instantly, a deep red covering his cheeks as he turned away from me in embarrassment while I just gently touched my violated lips, staring at him blankly. I turn to see Haruhi had done the same thing, but as she was taller than me and wasn't wearing heels she didn't fall as hard, meaning they barely brushed lips. They still scooted away from each other though, covering their mouth with their hand, blushing lightly. The crowd went wild, girls screaming at us from all angles at what they had just witnessed, so excited from the action. _Jesus, these girls need to get introduced to porn or something, this is pathetic_, I thought, looking at the girls all cheering from the balconies. I turned to Suzushima who was awkwardly shuffling his feet, looking at Kanako in embarrassment as she looked back at him as if she was worried he would be mad about what just happened. I gave Kanako a thumbs up and commented she was a lucky girl as he was quite a good kisser, _for a boy._ This caused the poor boy to blush even deeper in embarrassment.

I never thought I would give my first kiss from a boy to this tableware Otaku, but it was such an eventful night that I should have figured something like this would happen. I _especially_ didn't imagine it would happen because a clumsy Tamaki was _so_ worked up at the thought of Haruhi kissing someone that he would sabotage her real first kiss and get me involved as well. Oh well, all's well that ends well, I suppose. I look at Haruhi, who looked like she was thinking the same thing before we both burst into a fit of giggles, rolling our eyes at the antics of the Host Club. While we laughed off the experience, we could hear Tamaki's cries from the other side of the balcony, his sobs loud and pathetic. That's when we noticed what the girls were saying.  
"Why did Tamaki try to stop the kiss's just now!?"  
"He _really_ wanted to give a kiss, huh?"  
"He's a kissing machine!" That last comment caught our attention.  
"I see...A kissing machine..." Haruhi turned to give him a scornful look. I raised an eyebrow and added that he even wanted to kiss Suzushima as well even though he wasn't gay, adding in that his condition was turning into a serious problem. Tamaki stuttered and stumbled hopelessly, not wanting to make Haruhi mad at him.  
"I was just trying to protect your first kiss-" He hurriedly tried to defend his actions.  
"Yeah well, thanks to you, she did get her first kiss and ruined my kiss in the process as well!" I interrupted, shaking my head and tutting at him, ashamed.  
"I don't really care but I just didn't know you were such a greedy person" Haruhi sighed, giving him a tired look. "I just started having a better opinion of you too..." Tamaki called out Haruhi's name, begging her to understand. "Maybe it's just a new type of bullying..."  
"Come on Haruhi, lets leave this kissing creep alone with his pervy thoughts" I said, wrapping my arm around her and walking off, looking back to stick my tongue out at a defeated Tamaki before turning away from him with a huff.  
"Aya-Chan, Haru-Chan, you wanna have some cake?" Honey asked us, the edges of his mouth filled with the icing off the christmas cake. Me and Haruhi said we'd be delighted before sitting with Honey and Mori to share it while a depressed Tamaki went to his 'sulking corner' for the rest of the night...

* * *

Later on in the evening, just as the party was coming to a close, I found Kyoya sitting alone on a deserted table, writing in that confounded notebook of his again. Feeling bored, I wandered over to him and sat down beside him, smiling tiredly. The whole night had really worn me out. Kyoya ignored me as usual. I sighed loudly, trying to grab his attention but his eyes didn't even twitch in my direction.  
"You're no fun" I moan, laying my head on the table. Kyoya carried on writing.  
"As you've told me countless times before." Kyoya said, not even looking at me.  
"I bet tomorrow you stay cooped up in your room doing algebra equations while the entire family's downstairs opening presents, eating christmas dinner and pulling crackers...You seem like that sort of person." I said, laughing. "I bet you're hoping for a new calculator for christmas or something, huh?..." As I chatted away, Kyoya noticed I wasn't leaving anytime soon and slowly closed his book with an annoyed huff, taking off his glasses to clean them. I was also wearing my glasses now, the contacts I wore for tonight starting to irritate me, though I was glad I got to show off my blue eyes for most of the night.  
"I'm afraid you're assumption of christmas day at the Ootori household isn't as cozy as you think" He said, cutting me off. I lifted my head off the table in curiosity, wanting to know more. He sighed, realising the hole he's just dug for himself. "My family does not take christmas off of work, it is seen as a useless holiday in my family so both my parents are out from early morning till late into the night"  
"Oh, I guess I should have figured your parents weren't the hot-chocolate-by-the-fireplace type of people, what with being busy getting even richer all the time and stuff...What about your siblings though? I know you have a sister, since, you know, this is her dress...But what about any other siblings?" I said, leaning forward in anticipation.  
"Yes your correct, my sister Fuyumi is the one who owned that dress but she is currently busy with an arranged marriage with one of father's business partners, so she shall be spending christmas with his family. My other two older brothers, Yuuichi and Akito, are just as busy as my parents around christmas. The eldest, Yuuichi, helps my father manage the company on that day and Akito is currently studying across the country in medical school." He elaborated, nodding his head to me as if to say the conversation was finished. Just as be began to reach for his notebook however, I started talking again, much to his annoyance.  
"Does that mean...You're all alone at christmas?" I asked, my voice unusually solemn, looking at the table thoughtfully. If Kyoya was surprised by my sudden mood swing he didn't show it, he simply answered my question with a curt 'yes'. I let out a small 'oh' at his reply, letting us sit in silence for a while.

When he first mentioned he had three older siblings, I was quite jealous to be honest, the thought of coming home to two parents and three siblings would be nice even if you didn't particularly get along with them. It was something I'd never had as my mother died when I wasn't even a hour old and the time I spent as a family with my brother Kichiro and my..._Father_...wasn't what I would call a functional family system either. Hell, even my strict, unloving and downright heartless Auntie gave me a better family life than I ever could hope for with my father...But it seemed that although the Ootori family has the numbers for a close-knit family set up, it was clearly not the case. The way he spoke of his parents made it seem as if he was used to them not coming home often, the sign of workaholic parents. His siblings didn't generate much affection from him either, them sounding more like a nuisance to him than good company, a hint of bitterness could even be heard when he spoke of his brothers. From the little insight into his life he gave me, I couldn't fathom why he didn't really like them but I knew I would be pushing my luck to pry any further into his life. All I knew was that, just like me (Excluding the countless maids and butlers at his disposal) he was going to be just as lonely on christmas day as I was. I felt self-pity mingle with my already lonely mood as I reminded myself of tomorrow's agenda, briefly wondering if Kyoya felt just as lonely as me but was hiding it. A clever and sneaky man like him could fool anyone, even without the acting skills I possess. I opened my mouth to say something but as I couldn't think of anything helpful to contribute to the conversation, I just smiled and tapped his notebook for my attention.  
"Since you're going to spend christmas alone, I may as well give you a little present now to cheer you up" I said, laughing at his uninterested gaze. I told him to close his eyes then hold out his hand because I got a nice treat for him. He shook his head, telling me with a sigh I was being ridiculous but decided to humour me and did as he was told. I took out his fountain pen from between my breasts, taking a piece of decorative ribbon from the table and beginning to write on it. Once I was satisfied, I carefully attached it to the pen and placed it in his hand. When he opened his eyes, he gave me an inquisitive look.  
"You're christmas present to me...Is **_my_** fountain pen...The fountain pen that you **_stole_** from me earlier tonight?" He said, raising an eyebrow at my 'present'. I rolled my eyes.  
"It was very last minute, OK? There wasn't much to work with" I said, grinning proudly. "Besides, I've modified it, so it looks even better than before" He turned the pen in his hand, noticing with dismay the ribbon I had stuck to it.  
"You...Defaced my pen with a scrap of ribbon you found on the table?" He muttered in defeat, his shoulders slumping.  
"You're welcome!" I said cheerfully, grinning widely. "Oh but look, I wrote something special on it, see?" Kyoya looked at what I scribbled on it, my handwriting messy but just about legible. The ribbon read: 'Kyoya, here's your fancy pen to write your boring stuff in your stupid notebook with, I hope you know it's unhealthy to write as often as you do. Try knitting or something more productive as a hobby, you'll thank me later, trust me. Love from your favorite-and most sexy-friend in the world, Ayane'. I watched his expression as he read it, thinking he would scold me for messing up his pen but was surprised as he began to chuckle, quiet at first but louder with every passing second. I stood there stupefied for a moment, having never seen him so uncomposed, but eventually shook it off and happily laughed with him, glad I finally got him to relax. He eventually stopped and looked at me with an unknown expression on his face, as if he wanted to tell me something but is hesitant to. He simply shook his head in wonder and settled on telling me it was time to leave, his cold barrier back up again. I agreed and stood up, waving a quick goodbye to him and walking away, surprised when he called me back.  
"Here Ayane, for you." He said, passing me the lavender rose he used in our performance, a prop I thought we had lost in the aftermath. "It would be ungentlemanly of me not to give a lady a gift after she had so kindly gave me one. Goodnight, Lady Ayane" At those final words he turned to leave, not stopping even after I yelled after him that I thought I'd already told him I wasn't no lady! I sighed, looking at the delicate flower. I always hated getting flowers since I was young, finding the thought of cutting and ultimately killing a flower to just so you can put it in a vase and say 'Oh my, how pretty' seemed ridiculous to me. But...It was unusually nice of Kyoya to be nice enough to not scold me and give me a gift for a change, even though I found being in his company when he let his guard down and was truly laughing a much more memorable experience than this silly flower. Still, I held onto it till I got home and put it in a vase, worried if I let it die too early Kyoya's private police force would come knocking on my door to arrest me...

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated!** _What do you think of the party?_

Hi, I finally got the party done, after ages of planning it out, so I hope you like it! :)

I hope you like the Ayane and Kyoya chemistry in this chapter, it was much stronger than before so I wonder if you consider him as one of your OTPs for her? I was deliberating about the end for AGES, wanting to find a way to do it without Kyoya going all OOC, so I hope you think I made him act Kyoya-ish? I'm trying to make him act like Tamaki is to Haruhi but keeping in with his refined, cold yet charming personality. I hope I'm doing a good job :)

I made this a Christmas party opposed to one in spring with the cherry blossoms like in the anime simply because I preferred the christmas party that was in the manga. (If you couldn't tell, I'm going using both the anime and manga [eventually just the manga once I finish the anime] as a timeline guide, simply adding my own story arc/extra chapters in between the official time line) I also tried to add Ayane into the mix of the original story without it seeming forced or choppy, so please tell me at any point if you don't feel I'm doing it right and it's hard to read :)

Also, to the reviewer who asked for a scene where Kyoya talks about his brothers to Ayane and I describe her feelings, here it is. I really want to thank you for the idea as I think it works GREAT with this scene and gave the Kyoya X Ayane ship a good chance to start cruising along nicely :)

One last thing I have to say is that next chapter won't be from the original story, it will be about Ayane and her lonely, lonely christmas day...That might feature a little christmas angel named Haruhi to save her day? No matter what I decide for that chapter, I've decided to reveal a bit of her past, even though that chapter is planned to be quite short...So I ask you know, my beloved readers what part of her past do you want to see? You can choose either her brother **Kichiro,**her **dad, **her **dad talking about her mother**? you can then choose from either a **happy** memory or a **sad** one? If you decide to be greedy and choose all **five** options that is perfectly fine, because if enough people ask for all five either through private messaging or in a review then you can just wait a _little_ longer for the chapter and get five lots of mini backstorys all at once if you want or if not I will do them in future chapters...the choice is up to you! LOL :)

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

* * *

**_P.S._**

**I have put a poll up for you (you can find it on my profile page) to decide who you want Ayane to end up with, there are 16 choices and you can choose up to ten because...I SAY SO OK? and the poll will carry on until we get to the 'OMG am I in love?' chapter of the manga when Haruhi starts to notice her feelings for Tamaki, which won't be for a LOOOOONG time so don't worry about rushing to do it. Please think closely about who you're voting for, your choice can drastically change the course of the story. If I was you, I would wait until closer to the middle of the story before you vote so that Ayane has had enough time with ALL the choices so you have a better decision to make-you don't want to choose someone and later on you feel like she would have been better with somebody else (I've been in that situation with other stories polls,I'm like the most indecisive person ever but still really reckless and impulsive when it comes to quizzes and polls...) At the moment the only people she has really had a moment with is Mori and Kyoya, but there are so many other people she hasn't even met yet or interacted properly with (EG the twins need more time and Nekozawa and Ritsu haven't been introduced yet)**


	11. Dealing with Christmas blues

_"Stop it Kichiro!" I complained, running down the corridor. "We shouldn't be doing this..."_  
_"It's not my fault you're just a slow poke that can't catch me!" He teased, sprinting further from me. He turned onto the landing, laughing wildly as he leapt from the top step before propelling himself so he could swing his leg over the banister._  
_"Kichiro!" I gasped, my hand reaching out for him in concern as he seated himself on the banister and prepared to depart. "That's dangerous, get down from there or else-"_  
_"Yabba Dabba Doo~" He cried, sliding down the banister at an incredible rate, his body as blur as he spiralled down. I launched down the stairs, taking two steps at a time as I raced to meet him at the bottom, gasping the whole time at his dangerous act. He was really reckless when he wanted to be._  
_"Hey, come on Ayane, this is really fun! You should try-WAHHH!" Just as my feet touched the last step, I watched in shock as he lost control, his body flung from the banister and now sprawled out on the floor. I rushed to his side, kneeling to check him for any injuries. I asked him if he was OK, my hands all over his body to check for any external damage. He didn't reply. __I began to cry, thinking the worst._

_"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" I babbled, tears streaming down my face. "This is all my fault, I should have tried to stop him...Oh what will I tell Mr Kanegawa?"_  
_"A-A-Ayane..." He groaned, stopping my panic attack in its tracks. He rolled over, reaching his hands out to me as if to grasp mine. I complied with his wish. "I want you to do something for me...Before I go..." I nodded my head obediently, telling him I'd do anything. He smiled weakly, coughing dramatically. "Don't...Don't eat the puff pastry I hide in the cupboard, I totally saw you eyeing it earlier!" He said, laughing again, his appearance good as new. I looked at him silently, blinking my eyes in shock. I can't believe this idiot tried tricked me, AGAIN! I sigh, lowering my face into my hand in shame, slapping him lightly as I stood up. Kichiro continued to laugh at me, clutching his sides and laughing harder when once I'd slapped him._  
_"Haha, sorry Ayane, but you should have seen your face!...Ah, it was-Hey, hey don't leave, I was only joking!" He exclaimed, scrambling up to stop me from walking away. I turned to give him a disappointed look as he gripped my arm, giving me his signature cheeky grin. He was so carefree and goofy all the time, laughing everything away with that complacent smile on his face. It didn't sit well with me._  
_"You could have got really hurt then, idiot" I muttered, giving him the best scolding-mother look I could muster. "You should grow up and start taking things seriously, not everything can be fun and games, you know?" He just grinned wider, rolling his eyes._  
_"And you should stop being so serious!" He retorted, sticking his tongue out at me. "What's the point of being sad and grumpy and oh so serious all the time? Sometimes, ignoring the pain and laughing away your problems is the best way to live..." He added, swinging on the banister as he did, pulling a silly face. I just shook my head, wondering aloud what the point of pretending to be happy all the time is._  
_"Being jolly all the time is silly, if you're sad, just be sad" I said, pushing him, causing Kichiro to topple and fall back onto the floor. He turned to face me as he rubbed his sore head, grinning like the idiot he was._  
_"Whatever Little Miss Boring, I think if you keep pretending to be like the person you wish to be, then it will eventually turn into reality." he said proudly, an arrogant smile planted on his face at saying such a mature thing. "Meaning, if you act jolly and happy and cheerful and...stuff all the time, then eventually nothing can hurt you or make you sad, and you'll never be lonely or mad or anything again! The perfect life..." I just giggled at him, rolling my eyes and saying being serious doesn't suit him. A confused frown appeared on his face as he questioned why, probably thinking he sounded intelligent. I simply pointed to the large piece of tinsel still stuck behind his ear, from when he tried to 'improve' the christmas tree decor, claiming the maids didn't do a good enough job. That, combined with his less than mature explanation of his 'inspirational' quote of the day, sort of ruined the message he tried to carry across...I suddenly shrieked as he threw the tinsel in my face, blowing a raspberry at me and running away before I could get him back for it. I quickly wiped the sparkly thing from my face, yelling at him that he was a jerk before rolling my eyes and deciding to run after him, grudgingly agreeing to play tag with him._

_Just as I turned the corner, arriving in the large dining room, I skidded to a halt once I saw who was keeping Kichiro company inside. The smile melted off of my face as standing there was the man of my nightmares...Mr Kanegawa. He was a portly fellow, now the shadow of a man who was once considered handsome, with a neatly trimmed moustache and a crisp suit on his back. The perfect example of a successful businessman. Most people knew him as prudish, who wouldn't tolerate any type of tomfoolery yet could still be pleasant to be around once you've gotten on his good side. They say you'll find him to be quite a polite and intelligent man to talk to, always ready to tell you about the latest news and state his strong opinion on it, carrying the compelling charm of a man who you can't help but agree with, a voice you can't deny the chance to ignore. I have yet to meet this 'shining example' of the perfect man however, a permanent scowl is all he has yet to show me, his opinions of me harsh and his punishments severe. This man has his own strong opinion of me and it is that I shouldn't have even been born. It was obvious the moment Kichiro saw him he stopped his games, any trace of his cheeky smile gone. Left behind was an obedient little boy, silently begging to please his demanding father for fear of punishment. He was stood up straight, his hands behind his back and his head held high with confidence. However there was nothing he could do in time to fix his scuffed shoes and creased shirt. I knew he was in trouble. As I scurried back to the safety of the door frame, I saw the man open his mouth._

_"...Kichiro, who are you?" Father bellowed, glaring angrily at his little boy. Kichiro gulped, breathing deeply to make sure he didn't anger him further by stuttering before he calmly gave his answer._  
_"I am the son of Atsushi Kanegawa, a successful and powerful business man in the iron industry." He began, speaking in the monotone voice of someone reciting empty words back to a teacher, meaningless words to him. "Once I have come of age, I will take over the powerful empire my father has built over this golden years and improve it even further to fully reach it's potential."_  
_"Why?" Father persisted, his voice lashing out at him like a whip. I saw Kichiro try not to flinch at the severity of his words._  
_"Because I am the successor of to the Kanegawa empire, the...**Only**...child to the boss of the company, Atsushi Kanegawa, who in his lifetime can not accomplish all the company can become." He quickly added, his voice breathless as the tension in the room intensified. His father must have noticed the pause because he stayed silent at his words, not a good sign. He strode over to the glass dining table, placing the now empty shot glass in his hand onto it with a forceful slam. The sound it produced echoed around the room menacingly. His eyes swiftly pinpointed me by the door, stopping any sort of escape I had in mind. It's too late, I thought, He's already found me. I saw his hand slowly reach out, his finger curling around in a 'come here' motion, his foot tapping impatiently on the vinyl flooring. I hurriedly scurried over to him, both me and Kichiro knowing he would be angered much quicker by me than him. After all, he was constantly mad at the fact I even exist, of course he would find any reason to lash out at me, it was just the way it was in this house. I stopped just in front of the man, bowing slightly. He snapped at me to stand, fiercely telling me that if I can't bow properly, don't bother insulting me with that pathetic excuse for one. He always said I never had the japanese gene in me, my brain cross-wired for those rude english folk's ways._  
_"What have I told you, hmm? You should not interact with the heir to my company!" He curtly told me, glaring with pure disgust. "You know the rules, you must not play to the Kichiro, talk to Kichiro or even look in his direction without my permission! It is a privilege I even allow you to live under the same roof as him, no matter how far apart your rooms are."_  
_"...Yes Sir, it would be a disgrace to your family name if any of your high-status connections ever dare find out about me, wouldn't it?" I tried to talk with disdain, but the bitterness bite through my emotionless act, my expression turning sour. "I wonder what would happen if your friends found out about your little secret, eh? Where would Kichiro and your precious company be then!?" I bit my lip to stop any further outbursts, though already knowing it was too late to go back on my words. His face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage as he roughly grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me to look into his furious eyes._  
_"You little brat!" He snarled, the words spitting out of his mouth like venom. "Who do you think you are to sabotage Kichiro's chance of success!? I would put you in your place if I had my way with you, if Kichiro hasn't formed an attachment to you I'd..." He trailed off, not daring to finish his less-than-idle threat. I just shrugged off his touch, disgusted by the drunkard. I returned his glare with my own, matching his fierce one perfectly._

_I may be a little girl, but this man has toughened me up no more than stray dog fighting for scraps all his life would, I was not going down without a fight. He raised his hand as if to slap me, __and I patiently stared at him, daring him to do it as I anticipated the blow. The quicker the bastard dealt the blow, the quicker I could lock this control freak behind bars where he belongs. But before he could, I saw Kichiro scurry to us, standing protectively in front of me. He shook his head.  
__"Think of the company father, she's not worth it." He firmly said, calmly waiting for him to stop the 'nonsense' as he called it, even though it was crystal clear in father's mind what he wanted to do. Mr Kanegawa stared at him hard, before grunting and begrudgingly lowering his hand. He let out a sound of displeasure before storming off, grumbling to Kichiro that he wanted me out of his sight by the time he came back down for a drink. It wouldn't be long, knowing him. We knowingly trained our sights onto him, our eyes not leaving him until we were sure he wasn't coming back. When his footsteps could no longer be heard, Me and Kichiro let out the breath we didn't realise we were holding, visibly relaxing now that we knew he was gone, at least for now._

_Kichiro turned to me, his usual grin on his face now that he was gone, a light chuckle escaping. I frowned at him._  
_"What's so funny?" I muttered, glaring at him. I was not happy about him saying I 'wasn't worth it'. Kichiro picked up on it instantly._  
_"Hey, you know I was joking right?" He sighed at my silent answer, changing his tactics. "Look, if I could, I would drop all of this stupid 'pristine, polite and perfect' heir to the Kanegawa empire if I could for you, you know that. But right now, at this age, there's nothing I can do to help my precious sister..." My frown curved upwards slightly at his words, unable to deny the jolt of happiness that went through me. People always said he was a charmer, ironically just like his father. "I'm little right now...But when I'm older, I'll take over the company and I can do whatever I want! I'll get a chocolate fountain that reaches the ceiling, a-a-and a pet dolphin that can do tricks, oh and we can't forget slides instead of stairs and-"_  
_"-And a stage for me?" I piped up, foolishly getting caught in the dream, my rational self going straight out of the window. He immediately perked up at my suggestion, having always liked the little performances I put on for him._  
_"Of course, how could I forget? I'll make a massive stage for you, with every instrument under the sun and the room will be filled to the brim with people cheering for you, all there to hear **your** songs." He finished, his hands stretching out as far as they could go to prove the point, almost toppling over in his effort. I looked to the floor at his words, blushing. But before I could reply-_  
_"Miss Ayane, Miss Ayane!" We turned to see a blonde-haired maid rush into the room, her plump body making her speed walking not very speedy at all. When she finally arrived to us, her face blotchy with red spots and her breathing hard. "M...Mi...Miss Ayane, you must hurry! There's no time to lose...Mr Kanegawa is hosting a Christmas party this evening and the guests are going to arrive any minute! I...I know you don't like to stay in that stuffy old locked up room but if the guests see you then...Well, they'll..." She stumbled over her words at the last hurdle, the thought of being scolded by Mr Kanegawa was a terrifying thought, even to the large, fearless russian maid herself._  
_"Y-Y-Yes Olga, let's go." I said, frowning again, her news dampening my mood. But as I sadly waved goodbye to Kichiro, he told me one last thing._  
_"Don't look so gloomy, Ok? Promise me that you'll just keep laughing and smiling through your pain, no matter how much it hurts. That way, when I do get the company and your stage, the first thing I'll get to do is greet my smiling, bubbly sister I know is in there somewhere! Even if father won't admit it, you're still my flesh and blood, my twin...Even if I did get the cuter genes, I mean, how can you say no to this face?" He added, laughing and running away when I swatted at him. I sighed, thinking maybe I could try it, it can't hurt anymore to pretend to be happy than sad, right? It would sure save a lot of my tears anyway, these events usually included a conversation or two about Mr Kanegawa's misfortune of only having one child..._

* * *

I woke up with a jolt, my disoriented mind for a moment almost thinking I was really there with Kichiro, hearing his contagious laugh, so similar to mine...But when I shook my head, it brought me back to the reality of the situation. I wasn't 7 again, I wasn't playing tag with Kichiro in that big-ass mansion and I certainly didn't have my personal maid Olga, the only one in the mansion who knew of my identity (The rest of the staff thought I was Olga's niece, the staff having never gotten close enough to me before to notice the similarity between me and Kichiro...Plus it was mandatory for me to wear a hat to hide my hair). It felt like I could still feel Kichiro's warm hand in my own but when I shifted my head to look, I realised it was nothing but the fuzzy feel of my lazy cat, someone who occasionally sneaks into my bed with me, a rare act of affection-either that or he's too snooty for his own bed. I groaned, shoving the fluffball to the bottom of my bed and pulling the covers over me, not ready to face my less than excitable Christmas day. The morning sun was blaring through the window now, a square of yellow light printed onto my quilt, the light dancing on my eyelids. I grumbled angrily, knowing I couldn't just return to my happy dreams and accepted that I would have to face the day eventually. With the mindset of sooner rather than later, I decided it was time to get up for breakfast. Like a cautious turtle feeling sunlight for the first time, I gradually crawled out from my chamber of warmth, not prepared as the chill of winter air invaded my body. My skin tingled as my bare feet touched the floor, a blast of cold air hitting me as I raced for my dressing gown, having wore nothing but my underwear to bed. Once the old, ragged dressing gown was wrapped around me, I realised immediately what a flimsy barrier it provided for the chilling cold circulating around the house, my purse not big enough to dare put the heating on.

I spent all the morning watching crappy japanese game shows, gloomily eating a slice of cold pizza from last night, something Ranka happily gave me last night as he was on his way home from work, knowing I would be getting home late and wanting to do something for Haruhi's 'precious best friend'. I smiled at the memory of Ranka showing up at my door with a pizza box in his hand, finding such a loyal father like him a rare occurrence in an apartment full of single mums on benefits. He's been popping in to see me a lot more often now that he's found out about the fact I live alone and have no guardian to watch over me, taking it upon himself to fill the role himself. I didn't mind, knowing he would get no closer to me than anybody else, my past and my feelings nobody's business but my own.  
"I can take care of myself, I don't need anymore nosy people butting into my life..." I muttered firmly, the countless times my band mates have wondered about me flicking across my mind. I stretched my arms thoroughly, briefly glancing at the time to check when it was time to go back to bed again, already sick of watching TV. It was only one o' clock, a lot of daylight hours left to burn. Sick of staying cooped up in the house any longer, I impulsively leapt out of the couch and got ready to tackle the winter weather. Scavenging for five pairs of socks and the missing pair to my glove, I got dressed and felt ready to tackle the weather head on...At least, 70% ready anyway.

I left the house, bundled up in my brown striped jumper with matching scarf, earmuffs and fingerless gloves, my feet snug in my scuffed snow boots from about 5 winter's ago (I don't grow much, if you haven't figured out from my height). My legs however had to be the sacrifice for my fashion as they faced the weather with nothing to protect them save a paper-thin pair of tights, all for the sake of being able to wear my new russet-coloured skirt I had just bought. The second I stepped out of the building I immediately felt the winter wind howl through the door and bite at my skin. The bleak grey cloud overhead perfectly reflecting my dreary mood. These short days and long nights, the dampness that crept into my weary bones made me almost ache for summer more than company. The snowflakes danced across the sky, riding the breeze so it floated around me gracefully. It was pretty, in its own cold, wet and miserable sort of way. As I clutched my scarf closer to my chest and neck, the bitter cold quickly seeped through my woollen mittens, numbing my fingers until they feel thick and stiff, finding it hard to catch my escaping scarf from the winter breeze.

I wandered aimlessly, the sound of crunching under my feet as I stepped over the snow-covered road. I turned onto my neighbouring council estate, seeing more of the winter sights; Pale grass stiffened with frost, the last few browned leaves clinging to the otherwise bare branches on the naked trees that line the avenue, icicles hung from roof eaves and even black ice on the concrete path, slippery and treacherous. The sound of my shaky breath was my only company, the world seemed to lie barren and lifeless before me, not many people outside at this time. But who could blame them? It was Christmas, the time for spending lots of money on presents for your spoilt brats and then slave over a stove in a boiling kitchen to feed them something presentable, both outcomes usually ending up with ungrateful kids shoving it back in your face. _Happy Holidays! _I thought bitterly, wondering if it was the holiday that made me more pessimistic than usual or the fact no one was outside to witness my sexy new skirt. It was probably a bit of both. I sighed for the umpteenth time today, kicking the snow in frustration, watching the flurry of white flakes come up to greet me as I did. I walked onto a main road, finally witnessing civilisation for the first time today, the row of typical shops lining the road; high street clothes shops filled with tacky cloth made from third world countries, cafe's filled with busy men in immaculate suits moaning about the overpriced coffee and also the occasional 'local business' stores that our owned by the townsfolk. Crossing the road, I noticed through the string of business men with briefcases and homeless men with rubbish-filled trollies, a quaint little bakery shop was in view. It was owned by the most kindhearted elderly woman I'd ever met, one of the rare breeds of people in this part of town that weren't tainted by the harsh dog-eat-dog world it is down here. Her husband had died many years ago and to prove her love for him, opened the bakery he'd had saved up for in his youth. It was quite a sweet story, and because of the lonely circumstances she lives with, she was undoubtedly too kind to the scum that dare enter her sweet little place. But even _I_ could be a bit harsh in manipulating her for a little extra food when I was running low on money...What? I never said the dog-eat-dog world never affected _me._

I smiled brightly as I entered her shop, the familiar twinkle of chimes filling my ears. The place was primarily baby pink with china teacups and porcelain dolls lined up in glass cabinets against the wall, pictures of cute cats collecting dust on the wall while the rest of her decor leaned even further towards the typical 'granny's house' look. I inhaled deeply as I walked up to the counter, the overwhelming scent of cinnamon, pastry and fresh bread greeting my senses. Her wrinkled face also turned to greet me, giving me a gummy smile (She must have lost her dentures again).  
"Hey sweetie, how are you doing today?" She greeted in a deep voice, the years of smoking had made her voice low and raspy. "Having a nice holiday?" I forced a smile onto my windswept face, ignoring her cheap musky perfume attacking my nostrils.  
"Yeah it's OK, I guess. It's a lonely holiday when you live by yourself...I was just going on a little walk when I saw your delicious treats at the window." I began, flashing her a charming smile. "The only problem is I don't think I have enough money for those amazing ginger nut biscuits I love, It's too bad I can't make them myself. I guess only a _beautiful _and_ young_ woman such as yourself has the talent to make such a treat..." A pout formed on my lips as my voice trailed off, trying to guilt trip her. Her eyebrows furrowed together in concern, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth in thought. She turned around then, slowly and surely as to not to fall and break her hip, hobbling over to the counter full of pastries. I tried to hide my triumphant smile as she poured a load of biscuits into a large paper bag, the old lady filling it until it bulged out excessively. I reached my hands out.  
"Ma'am, a-a-are you sure?" I said in surprise, greedily clutching the bag from her bony fingers. "I don't know what to say..." She let out a small chuckle, the laugh sounding more like a strangled cough than a sound of amusement. She told me that it was on the house before shooing me away, reminding me that I should share them with my little friend '_Hanahi'_ that I talk about so much. I didn't bother correcting her, just giving her a quick wave before wandering off again, whistling happily now that I had a bag of biscuits swinging by my hip. I do love it when old ladies give you freebies after a little sob story, it was how most contestants on competition shows get votes anyway. I had just crossed the road, about to take a shortcut that leads straight to my apartment building, when I saw something across the road that paused my efforts. It was the cemetery.

It had a different air than the street it was on, the aura of the peaceful dead surrounded the place in a blanket of eerie silence. I hesitated. _Should I go or just ignore it and go home? _I shook my head, the thought of missing an opportunity to see the grave tugging at my heart, I knew I had to go, even if I stayed only a moment. I walked carefully, slowly putting one foot in front of the other until I went through the large iron gate straight into the heart of the cemetery. I could feel the drop in temperature instantly, a blanket of darkness cocooning the area. This cemetery, while relatively well-kept, was still extremely old so you tended to walk past the more_ neglected_ part of the place first. Once you get get past the smell of decaying leaves, turn left at the crumbling old chapel and through moss-covered tombstones, some with weather-worn inscriptions, you end up in the nicer part of the cemetery, the destination of my journey. It was still eerily quiet in this area, the majority of people left by their loved ones spending Christmas with the living, save those few forlorn souls who are seeking company here. Just like me. it took a while searching through the meaningless names of many but I eventually made it to the tombstone I wanted. It was a simple in design, made of white granite with large block letters in the centre.

**'KATSUMI KANEGAWA: BELOVED MOTHER AND WIFE. 1972-1998****'**

My mother. I crouched down in front of the grave, gently brushing snow and stray leaves from the stone. I always had mixed feelings when it came to my mother, and especially her grave. I always think I never feel as sad as I should be staring at my mothers grave, which then usually leads to pangs of guilt for feeling void of any mournful feelings. I mean, how am I supposed to feel? She might be my mum, one of my closest flesh and blood, but she was gone 10 minutes after my birth so it's not like I got chance to feel connected to her in some way...In some ways, she's just like a stranger to me, you know? No more important than all these other graves...But I do always feel lonely when staring at the grave, growing up without a mother to depend on did affect me in more ways than it should, I may even feel angry at her sometimes for leaving me too soon, no matter how irrational it seemed. The most overpowering emotion I felt however was the deep pit in my stomach when I realise it had been too long since I last visited, the grave looking more and more abandoned the bigger breaks I take in between visits.  
"It's not my fault though is it? I mean that jackass never comes to visit you, does he?" I mutter heatedly, tugging harshly at the weeds that had started to sprout. "I'm always the one who comes by to clean this mess up and say hello, but everyone else seems to have forgotten you, just as they've done with me!" I angrily threw the wilting flowers away, my blood boiling the more I looked at the disarray surrounding her. My main emotion at seeing her grave today seemed to be anger, it has been a while since I've felt so aggressive around her. "But the major difference between us though is that unlike you, I'm still alive and well, no matter how ugly it is to say such things around you-It is true!" I felt angry tears prick at my eyes, my face heating up the more worked up I got. "If you had just lived, if I had entered this world without the instant guilt of cutting your life short just to start mine...We could have been a real family and father wouldn't have...And Kichiro and me could have known what its like to...And you..and maybe I wouldn't feel so alone right now..." I began to unwind with my last words, my heated anger slowly evaporating as it was replaced with quiet hopelessness. "_Sigh_...It doesn't matter anyway. Merry Christmas Mum, hope you have a nice one up there. Sorry I haven't got you anything for a present, haha, I kinda came here impulsively so...Huh?" As I sheepishly admitted my error, I could swear I heard my name being called.  
_"Ayane...Ayane...Ayane..." _It was quite unnerving to faintly hear a woman's muffled voice call out my name after talking to my deceased mother's grave, but when I abruptly turned around in curiosity, my heart skipping a beat in fear, I realised with a sigh the voice was from something very much living. It was Haruhi. The voice was shaky and muffled because she was had a ridiculously large scarf tied around her neck and lower face, her voice faint because she was practically on the other side of the cemetery and was only just running up to see me now.

"Haruhi!?" I asked in surprise, steadying her as she nearly slipped on a patch of ice. "What are you doing here? Your mother has a shrine at your house so you she doesn't have a grave..." Haruhi pulled down her scarf and smiled warmly at me, shaking her head.  
"Yeah, I just bought her some more flowers and the best flower shop is just next door to this cemetery" She explained, holding up the bouquet of lilies for proof. "I was just about to go home when I thought I saw you here so I came to investigate. Guess I was right" I just grinned widely at hearing her voice, my first genuine smile today. My mood quickly lifted the more she spoke of her day, her company the first, and probably going to be the only, cherished moment this Christmas. I smiled happily as she explained that her dad was working Christmas this year so he has slept all day and will be gone from evening, so she decided to go out and do something to fill the time. "Getting my mum some fresh flowers seemed like the best thing to do, you know? I'd never thought I'd see you on my way though, it's kind of a nice surprise...Is that what you're doing as well? Fixing up your mums resting place as well, I mean?" I glanced down at the grave, nodding my head.  
"Yeah, thought I'd clean it up a little, but I completely skimped on the flowers though, I'm not the best planner, am I?" I admitted sheepishly, laughing quietly. Haruhi sighed, taking out a lily from her bouquet and pressing it into my palm. Nodding in confirmation for me to use it, smiling meaningfully. My eyes flashed with gratitude as I placed it on top of the grave, giving her a kiss on her cold cheek and hugging her for being so kind, Haruhi blushing despite the cold at the action. I didn't trick Haruhi like I did with the old baker, so I really was happy when she gave me a piece of her own mother's present for mine.  
"Thanks Haruhi, you know I could have always just gone next door for them...But I guess you're just as kind as your mother, letting me have some of her flowers...Are at least, I hope she doesn't mind and starts thinking I'm a bad influence on you or something!" As we shared a warm laugh, I turned to my mothers grave and excitedly introduced Haruhi to her. Haruhi looked embarrassed once I began to I speak fondly of how good a friend she was and Haruhi modestly denied my compliments. After I thought I had teased her enough, I said a quick goodbye to my mum and linked arms with Haruhi, ready to leave. Haruhi paused to briefly pray to my mother out of respect before agreeing to go. My Haruhi really was a nice person, nicer than _I_ could ever hope to be. I just hope she never finds out about my darker side...I shook my head, hurriedly getting into a jolly mood. If Haruhi isn't so sad about being lonely at Christmas, then neither will I.  
"Hey, you want a biscuit? I got loads off of my local bakery, she thought it would cheer me up since I lived alone and it's Christmas so...I suppose you also qualify for some as well" Haruhi gladly accepted one, joking about how I must be in a special mood if I would willingly offer her some of my treats. "Haha, what can I say? I don't_ want_ to rip your arm off when you steal my Pocky, OK? It's just a reflex sometimes..." As we laughed, Haruhi asked me if I wanted to go over to her house for a little while.  
"Since I'm afraid if you don't, your Christmas dinner will consist of junk food, fast food or sweets." She said, giving me that concerned mother look she gives me when the thought of 'cooking' is related to me in some way or another. I had a really poor diet. I just laughed at her concern, rolling my eyes and saying cooking me lunch is what a wifes for as I fondly wrapped my arm around her and directed us to the nearest bus stop. The anger that rolled off of Haruhi at my joke soon stopped me laughing though, my blood running cold-well, colder than it already was. _Urgh_, Lets just say she didn't like that joke...

* * *

Our breaths rose in visible puffs to join the clouded night sky. There was a freezing chill in the air that brought crispness to the leaves that crunch underfoot, bejewelled with frost. Rosy cheeked, we stamped to keep warm, pulling woollen hats or earmuffs over reddened ears and tightening scarves over our blue-tinged lips. With chattering teeth the cold began to seep into our gloves again, numbing our fingers as I fumbled with her keys, Haruhi's stiffened and frigid. As if by some miracle, we managed to use our bodies to wedge the door open. We then wasted no time. Haruhi went to work turning on the central heating while I scoured the house for blankets. We shivered violently in the draft that trickled in from under the door as I made a fort out of pillows and quilts...Haruhi didn't approve. Then we sat around the fireplace waiting for the apartment to become cozy and warm, thaw our bodies and dry our wet clothes. Now that we had a crackling fire, the winter weather seems less dreary and more like a wonderland from her window. Less 'barren wasteland' and more 'Narnia magic', The only thing missing was the steaming mugs of hot chocolate!

As we spent well into the night laughing and joking around, Me teasing Haruhi to no end while she fueled my laughter with her explosive reactions, my mood slowly lifted like the clouds from the sky. It was the best Christmas I had had in years, maybe even the best Christmas I had **ever**. By the time the silver orb glowed pale at the peak of the inky black sky, we finally settled down and decided on some cheesy old Christmas film to watch together, still huddled under a heated blanket together. Just as Haruhi was drifting off, her eyelids fluttering sleepily, I admitted while in my quietly sullen state how I really felt.  
"You're a really good friend Haruhi, you know that right?" I breathed out, staring unblinking at the TV, the screen glaring at us from the darkness in the room. Haruhi jerked awake, shaking her head and mumbling out an 'Of course' as she yawned. "Good. Cause I don't have a lot of them, you know? Everyone is never really on my side, even my band is starting to think I'm leaving them for the 'snobby' Host Club...I think we're starting to drift apart, as if the amount of people I care about aren't few and far between already." As I began to digress from my original point, Haruhi slowly realised there was something off about the way I spoke and her face formed into one of an inquiring expression, hints of worry reflecting in her wide eyes. "You know, sometimes I think there's something wrong with me, the way everyone always leaves me, I'm sure it won't be long before you leave me too, willing or not..." As my voice filled with a sour tone, Haruhi called out my name in unease.  
"Ayane I..." She couldn't find the words to say, so I relentlessly continued on.  
"I'm nothing but a nuisance to everyone and no matter how much I try to make other people happy, I can't even manage it for myself-" I cut myself off as I choked back a sob, heated tears spilling down my cheeks for the second time today. Haruhi fumbled under the covers so she could hug me, firmly denying whatever I said.  
"NO!" She announced, looking at me with determination, her wavering eyes vanished. "You are my best friend and if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have even been able to handle half the stuff the Host Club dish out on a daily basis!" I blinked at her in surprise, thinking how unusual it is to see Haruhi so worked up, her attitude usually quite placid. "Look, I don't know what happened in your past, it's clear to me you don't want to share it-a-a-and that's fine-But you must stop putting yourself down so much and start confiding in your friends sometimes!...You're the most talented person I've met. Although you're not good at cooking or cleaning or sewing or emotional situations, and you're certainly not the most subtle person I've met, in fact, I'm sure that little girl from the park is still scarred after you told her-"

"This isn't the best pep talk you could've thought of, is it?" I laughed softly, sniffing as her surprisingly OK attempt to cheer me up had stopped my tears. Haruhi chuckled, admitting she wasn't the most subtle person either, sparking off a spontaneous round of giggles between us, sounding very much like little school girls again. We finally paused to gasp for breath, us both sighing in content as laid back down, cosy under the duvet. I let out a small smile, thinking that both Haruhi and Kichiro have a point: It was good to put on a show and pretend to be happy and hide how you really feel, but it's also nice to let go a little and share a talk with your friends-even if it is a rare occurrence. As we spent the remainder of the night talking about what we predicted the next Host Clubs antics will be, I pushed my past behind me and allowed myself to be truly happy for once, even if the feeling was fleeting...

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated!** _What do you think of the flashback? And how do you feel about the second Haruhi and Ayane sleepover? TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! ARGHGHGHGHJFRKJFDKSKC :)_

Hi, I finally got this chapter done, I spend a lot of energy on it so I hope you like it! :)

As this was my eleventh chapter, I reviewed my previous work carefully and scrutinised it A LOT. I came to the conclusion that I felt my other chapters didn't show my writing skills very much and I overall wasn't happy with the result, even if I was quite pleased with the character I created :(  
So Today I really went all out and tried to change my writing style slightly and improve the quality! Please please please tell me what you thought of this chapter, its very important to my less than confident state right now...As with the other chapters, there are a few mistakes here and there but overall I'm quite proud of it-_But I still will grately receive criticism on my writing AND creativity skills!_ I made this whole story to help with my writing as I one day hope to publish a story when I'm older, and since I'm 16, I know I have a lot of time to practice my creativity, character development and plotline progression as well as the more technical aspects such as my grammar and...stuff LOL :)

Now to ask you about the storyline...What do you think of Ayane breaking her facade in front of Haruhi? I think that if there was another girl in the original story of Ouran, then I would think regardless of her personality she would be really close to her so I tried to carry Haruhi's feeling without going too OCC, I hope it went well! I didn't want to go into too much detail of their Christmas together, and just leave most of the activities they would have together to your imagination (EG, could you just imagine Haruhi and Ayane playing board games together? The intense fighting in monopoly and an embarrassed Haruhi playing twister?-But iy's OK if you really wanted something like that because I plan to have the Host club and the girls have an _ahem_, 'eventful' party at Ayane's place in the future and lets just say, shit hits the ceiling! WHOOP WHOOP)

By the way, how do you feel about the scene about Ayane's mum? I really did my research into what someone would feel like having a mother who died giving birth to them and never actually knowing and feeling attached to them yet still having lingering feelings about the fact it is still their mother, a figure who is typically close to you...So I hope I captured her feelings correctly. *Fingers crossed*

Oh and we can't forget about that little flashback, can we? What do you think! I MUST KNOW! AHHHHHFKSFKOFCHJDKIDK...

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

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**_P.S._**

**The poll I mentioned in the previous chapter can be found on my profile page, if you didn't know! :) I read that one reviewer couldn't find it so I thought I'd mention it in case others couldn't either. Happy voting! And remember, think about it carefully and wait until all the boy's have had a chance to shine before you cast your vote!**


	12. Fangirl From France? Stealing Spotlight!

_**NEW YEARS DAY...**_

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Today was New Years day and the Host Club wasted no time in dragging me for their early opening, cosplay outfits and charming smiles at the ready. But despite being forced to cut my vacation time short, I found myself drawn to the thought of seeing those Hosting idiots and even the rich bitches again, regardless of how much they annoy me. I've been alone much too long in this holiday break and I was anxious to be introduced back into society again, my time with Haruhi slim after Christmas because of her mountain pile of homework...Anyway, back to New Years day...

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I had been in the Creative Arts building all day so I couldn't walk with Haruhi to the club, my academic lessons in the morning as opposed to the afternoon today. Since my perception of time is about 10 minutes behind everybody else, I was running late due to the lack of Haruhi being there to tell me to hurry up. I was just innocently strolling into the room, casually swinging the wire of my headphones as I went, until suddenly, the twins pounced.

Despite my protests, I was shoved into the changing room and had a bunch of cloth thrown into my face, the twins yelling at me to hurry up and put it on. I couldn't get a word in once they began to moan I was late and they still needed to do my make-up, shaking their head at me with disappointment. I opened my mouth but they simply walked away, closing the curtain behind them with an irritated swish. I blinked in confusion, shaking my head.  
"_Hello Ayane, could you be kind enough to put these clothes on for me?_ Geez is that so hard to say? I thought rich kids learnt etiquette from the age of 2 or something...Rude jerks" I muttered, shrugging my clothes off with a flick of my wrist and staring at the fabric with a puzzled expression. _How the heck do I put this on!?_, I thought in frustration, shaking my head with wonder. Sneakily peeking my head around the curtain, I saw that Haruhi was nowhere in sight and only the twins were even remotely near me. About to shout at her, I cut off when I realised that she was much too busy with Tamaki to help me, hearing her frustrated cries as Tamaki chased his 'Cute little daughter' around the room. It didn't take me long to debate my remaining options.

"Oi! Hikaru, Kaoru, get your asses over here." I whispered, throwing a coat hanger I found at the back of their heads.  
"ACK!" They cried out, rubbing their sore spots and turning to face me angrily. "What the hell is wrong with you, commoner, if you're finished, come to us so we can do your makeup!" I just shook my head, tilting my head towards the curtain, the only thing in view was my seemingly disembodied head poking out from the black curtain. Hikaru, thinking I was messing around, rushed to stand in front of me and sigh in frustration.  
"Now then commoner, what is the problem?" Hikaru asked,  
"We don't have time for this, you know" Kaoru added, standing next to him. I rolled my eyes at the attitude in their tone.  
"The _problem_ is your ugly faces, they're irritating my eyes!" I blurted, throwing them a disgusted expression, my pink tongue wiggling at them teasingly. I couldn't help it, the opportunity was too good to miss. Hikaru was fuming. In a burst of anger, he heatedly sweep the curtain back with a _swish_. Kaoru, who had noticed something seemed off, reached his hand out to stop him but it was too late. What they saw behind the curtain was me...Wearing nothing but my lacy red underwear. While I was thinking I was lucky that I decided to wear my decent underwear today (Instead of my teddy bear knickers-Now _that_ would be embarrassing), the boy's seemed to be thinking much errm, _dirtier_ thoughts. "Err, guys?...How long are you going to stand there with your mouths open? Because I'm getting kinda cold over here..." I said indifferently, holding up the clothing in one hand, the other hand on my hip. The frozen twins, who were experiencing a case of acute embarrassment (the deep blushes on their face a symptom of such a problem), finally snapped out of it at my words, trying to discreetly wipe away the trickle of blood coming out of their nose.  
"_Ahem, _I-I-I see, you have a problem putting your c-c-costume on..." Hikaru mumbled, averting his eyes anywhere but me.  
"Ah...Yeah...W-W-We can help you with that..." Kaoru stuttered after him, his eyes facing the floor. I rolled my eyes, thinking these boys are acting like children-Or hormonal school boys.  
"That's great and all, but you can't do it if your eyes aren't looking at the body you're putting it on, can you?" I said, laugher in my tone at their embarrassed squeaks. How cute. "Will you too calm yourselves and quickly put the damn clothes on if you're so embarrassed by a little skin. Geez, I thought you guy's were more professional than this..." The boy's scurried to put the outfit on, their hand's awkwardly placed as they warily tried not to make contact with my skin. I simply laughed at them, muttering that they're not the first boy's to see me with my clothes off anyway so it's not like it's a big deal, thinking back to the time Rin's older brother Shinji accidentally walked in on me coming out of the shower while I was sleeping at her house a few years back, before he went to prison. _At least these boy's had a better reaction_, I thought,_ then again, a few years ago I didn't have any boobs, butt or curves to call my_ own...

"Finished!" The twin's sighed, relaxing now I had some barrier between their eyes and my skin, me thinking _I_ should be the one with that reaction instead of them. God, they were such girls sometimes. I tugged and pulled at the fabric, twisting this way and that as I watched my reflection in the mirror. A cheeky grin appeared on my face.  
"Yeah, nice job lads, It suits me well." I finally say, sitting down so they could do my hair and make-up as usual. "But I'm sure you preferred me with less layers, didn't you?" I giggled, humour in my tone as I heard them begin to fiercely deny my accusations. "Are at least, Hikaru and Kaoru _junior_ seemed to enjoy it, hmm?" I casually added, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively as I blatantly looked at their crotch. The boy's crashed to the floor in shock, muted with embarrassment. As I burst into a loud fit of giggles, the Host Club came over to investigate. The twins didn't say a word, shaking their head and silently standing to do my make-up again, their ears burning red with mortification. When Kyoya looked at me with a questioning gaze, his tongue probably prepared to give me a good scolding, I simply smirked at him, knowing it was burning him to find out what was going on. I knew he would never find out though, the twins much too bashful about all this to just blurt it out to _anybody_...

Once the boys had finished my make-up, I put on the final piece on myself-My cheery expression "Hey boys, what do you think?" I asked with a giggle, twirling around so they got a better look. Everyone seemed to be wearing kimonos today, the theme taking a more traditional route than normal. I was wearing a burgundy one, dappled white with Lilly patterns on the bottom of both the sleeves and body, my sash a silk black. The twins had also stylishly tousled my hair and artfully tied a black ribbon onto my black headband.  
"Ahh You're so pretty Aya-Chan!"  
"Aww, we knew that colour would bring out the highlights in your hair, aren't you going to thank us, commoner?"  
"OH! Daddies _second_ favorite girl looks so cute wearing that kimono! Almost as cute as her big sister...(But not quite the same)"  
It doesn't take a genius to figure out who's different opinion's they were but as the type of girl to never shoot down a compliment, especially from cuties such as themselves, I took it with satisfied grin plastered on my face.  
"You really think so? I've never worn a kimono before but I must admit I'm rocking it like a pro here..." I said, flicking my hair back and pouting seductively. The blush on Mori face proved I did something right. I gave a quick wave to Haruhi, who seemed occupied arguing with Tamaki about something stupid he did, and quickly found my way over to Kyoya who (big surprise) was writing in his notebook again. I tapped him on the shoulder, my old-fashioned sandals echoing dull _clicks_ as I tapped them excitedly. I was looking amazing today-Well, even more amazing than normal-And I planned to flaunt it while I had the chance.  
"So...How do I look? I am looking good or am I **looking good**!" I said, snapping my fingers sassily. Kyoya smirked.  
"Yes, I suppose that look _will do_ for today, I'm sure the ladies will think you look just_ fine_" He told me, ticking off more boxes on his list as he waved me away. I felt insulted by his careless tone.  
"Aren't you supposed to be charming? Because I certainly don't feel flattered right now...More like a dull mannequin wearing second-hand crap rather than a model showcasing beauty" I muttered, rolling my eyes at his less than impressive compliment, if you can even call it that. He simply chuckled, choosing to reply without a word in his defense. Jackass. "Whatever, I'm sure the ladies will be swarming once they see me in this little number, even if _someone_ can't appreciate the good looks of a hot redhead...Are you sure you don't want to join the twins act? They could always do with another gay guy" I laughed, winking at him as I sashayed over to my awaiting fans. Kyoya simply sighed and shook his head in wonder, not sure what to make of my comment, too surprised to call me back. I smirked triumphantly, deciding teasing Kyoya **is** a good enough reason to cut my holidays short...

As I chatted up the girls, I could hear Tamaki's table react gleefully to his painfully cliché lines.  
"Oh Tamaki, why are you so beautiful?" Customer #1 asked, starry-eyed.  
"Because I'm hoping to catch your eye, even if it's just for a second." He smoothly replied. smoking pipe in hand. Tamaki, for reasons unknown to me, now had a long ponytail tied with purple rope, perhaps to make him look more old-fashioned?  
"Why is your voice so very sweet and mellow?" Customer #2 wondered, hands clasped as if to pray for the answer.  
"So that my true feelings might reach your heart." He answered softly, a smile playing on his lips.  
"Why are your eyes so full of tears when you look at me?" Now customer #3's turn to ask him stupid questions.  
"Because the beauty of your smile, causes the fountain inside of me to start overflowing" He said, his voice cracking at the end as he swept his hair back for the girls to see his watery eyes. The girls sighed dramatically as usual, melting from his phony words like a puddle of infatuation. It was quite sickening to watch, especially everyday. It was like watching a horribly pathetic clichéd romance story, the type of movie you see in a bargain bin for about 3 yen in a charity shop. What couple asks each other these questions and then answers them in that way? I shook my head, wandering over to the twins table, thinking I could have more fun teasing them than feeling nauseated listening to Tamaki's crappy pick up lines.

Walking up to the table, I just caught the ladies commenting on how cute they looked in matching kimonos, their bright blue outfits and low-cut neckline sending us signals of their mischievous nature. Hikaru happily informed them their grandmother designed them and they could contact her if they wanted, making me dubiously think Kyoya put them up to this. If profit and business was involved, Kyoya was the king behind it, always working in the shadows. As I thought that, Kaoru piped up that their grandmother helped them put it on, making me realise that they were probably as clueless about putting on kimonos as me. Does that mean these boys just helped me because they wanted to carry on seeing my body? I hope these twins weren't as perverted as I'm thinking they are...Hopefully I'm just overthinking this, _hopefully_. Although, it's not like my body is a necessarily bad, I do have a feminine figure and I'm not afraid to flaunt it when I have the chance, although the twins aren't exactly my first choice of showcasing it...It was at that thought I saw Hikaru stand to pull his brother's face to his, smirking as he did.  
"You know the only one that will be undressing you is me, Kaoru" He whispered in a deep voice. As he turned his face, I noticed the long aqua clips in the side of their hair, the colour clashing with the red now dusting Kaoru's cheeks. He twisted out of his gaze to tilt his head to the floor, tears in his eyes as he voiced his embarrassment. Just as the girls began squealing, I severed the tension between the twins once I made it to the table, going between them. I grinned as I sat on Hikaru's lap and wrapped my arms around Kaoru, a smirk playing on my lips as my fingers absently played with the collar of Kaoru's Kimono.  
"Sup boys, you on about the kimono's?" I said, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "Perhaps we should tell the girls about when you helped _me _with my kimono..." The girls excited cries filled our ears, the twins looking at them in surprise. I guess a girl in the middle now and then makes things a little more exciting for the customers, probably imagining them in my place. The perfect plan to gain more supporters. I spent a bit of time with the twins, their irritated looks slowly changing into _slightly_ irritated looks at my presence. I guess they don't like their twincest act turned into a threesome ft twins, but it was fun passing the time by teasing them anyhow.

After about 10 minutes, I glanced to the side to see Haruhi standing there with an exasperated expression, disgraced by me being involved with the 'nonsense' as she calls it. I quickly blew a kiss at the twins table and sped to catch up to her, not wanting her to think I'm really into that kind of stuff, I don't think she could accept that. Not to say that twin _girls_ aren't an interesting thing to decorate your bed...  
"Haruhi, you look so cute in your kimono!"  
"Almost like a girl!" Haruhi just replied a simply thanks as usual, never affected by the girls flattery. I stood in between the two fangirls and quickly scanned Haruhi's outfit, smiling at her in greeting. It was much girlier than mine, a subtle blend of shades of pink and whites, a flower in her hair to finish off her innocent look. Everyone's outfits always brought out our best features in the Host Club so Haruhi's was tailored to enhance her 'cute' features such as her rounded face and doe-like eyes while mine was made to feminise my sharp, striking features. I had a very angled face and mature features such as my large oval eyes and high cheekbones, more adult than Haruhi's childish looks like bambi eyes and very pinchable chubby cheeks. My outfit was made to make me seem, as the twins put it, 'high end fashion model', my hair and makeup showcasing my cat-like eyes and plump lips while drawing attention away from my ridiculously large forehead and fat pudgy nose. We can't all be perfect, but having professional on hand like the twins does give you the confidence to walk with girls who spent more money than your rent on beauty products and plastic surgery, these customers the reason I suddenly became so worried about my looks.  
"Yeah, she's just the essence of adorable isn't she?" I say to the girls who hastily agreed with me. "Aww, you better be careful Haruhi, Cuteness can kill, you know~" The girls giggled at my joke, blushing in awe when I wrapped my arms around Haruhi's waist from behind and rested my face on her back.  
"Eh!? They're so close to each other, that's even cuter!"  
"Yeah, do you think Ayane's next song will be dedicated to Haruhi next time? I hope so..." The girls gossiped fiercely, walking away from us in excited yet hushed voices. As Haruhi sighed and shifted uncomfortably at my display of affection, never liking my hugs but always begrudgingly allowing me to, Kyoya spoke up.  
"You booked another appointment, Haruhi" He observed, now kneeling and writing on a piece of parchment with a quill and ink pot. I suppose he swapped it for his original notebook because it fit with the theme better, but I think a better idea would be to just_ put the damn pen down_. "You both seem to be getting a steady flow of customers now, so keep up the good work you two." He put the parchment down and turned to give us a charming smile, a signal I knew all too well that meant he was about to go into 'evil Kyoya' mode. "I'm not going to charge interest on your debt like I normally would so keep this up and you should be able to pay it off...Although the rent fee for those kimonos are nothing to sneeze at" It was unnerving how innocent his smile was and how light-hearted his voice was, to then crush your soul with his relentless words. It was a conflicting thing to be the target of.  
"Well aren't you being the evil taxpayer today." I replied cheerfully, grinning at him. "It's like you're the sheriff of Nottingham, taking from the poor to give to the king...Except this story has no Robin Hood to give us it back!" Kyoya just chuckled at the similarities I put between the two, smirking in that smug little way of his. Haruhi looked like a shiver had just gone up her spine and seemed shocked by his actions, obviously not used to him like I was yet and wasn't sure how to tackle his heartless and downright demonic personality. Although, I suppose the same could be said about me and Tamaki...

I was interrupted by my train of thought as two fangirls sprouted up in front of us, turning to Kyoya and waving frantically.  
"Wow, Kyoya!"  
"I can't believe how good you look in that kimono!" The girls began to babble in admiration as they always do, me and Haruhi rolling our eyes and scoffing as we always do. In my opinion, Kyoya looked best in a business suit; cold and without a wrinkle for anyone to see-Just like his personality. "...Are you planning on releasing any more picture books of the Host Club?" Well_ that_ piqued my interest. I distinctly remember_ not_ having to do a photoshoot for an album lately, or even at all since joining the club. Kyoya wasn't sneaking secret photos of us from the changing room, was he? I wouldn't put it against him to do that for a couple of yen, after all, he's the sort of man who will do _anything_ for profit.  
"Unfortunately, we don't have anything planned for you ladies." He replied, smiling apologetically. As me and Haruhi glanced at each other, both of us considering the pros and cons of asking Kyoya where these pictures originated from, the twins heads popped up from behind a yellow screen door, a screen door that Kyoya was sitting in front of. They questioned him about the amount of money the club makes, having originally thought they must make loads of money from the sale of promotional items. Kyoya shook his head.  
"It's true but the items are poor quality, those picture books were full of nothing but amateur hidden camera shots." Kyoya explained, holding out some of the pictures as an example.

I snatched the photos from him, scrutinizing them closely. He was right, they _were_ terrible: The corner of the shots included a blur of yellow (probably the puffy uniforms of the girls), most of them had a streak of white light across the middle and all the shots were horribly unfocused as if they had been taken on some ancient Nokia brick or something. I must have pulled a disgraced expression because Kyoya sighed and took them back, stuffing them into his sleeves.  
"Geez, this is much worse than I thought, why did the ladies even buy this crap?" I exclaimed in disbelief, thinking even if you have a ton of cash to spend on cheap camera shots to drool over, it was beyond a waste of money. "And I thought you sold high quality stuff? I've seen pawn shops with better snaps from the public than these, why didn't you just hire a professional photographer? "  
"Because that would cost more than we would gain from it, there's no point. If we wanted more high quality products we would need to go into the school budget." Kyoya said while we did some calculations on a calculator, shaking his head at me as if I wouldn't understand. I knew I wasn't the brightest bulb but I did know a thing or two about saving money. I knitted my eyebrows in determination, a smug smile on my lips as I explained the hole in his theory.  
"Yes, but don't you think that hiring a student, perhaps a year 3 one, from the photography club would be cheaper and still better quality than these?" Kyoya looked at me in surprise, before a frown slowly formed onto his features and he considered my proposal. "And I'm sure if it's a girl, it won't be hard for you boy's to flirt your way into getting a discount on the offer and make it easier for us to hire her again...Hell, if she was a fan of the Host Club, you could get it free" Kyoya sat in silence for a while, the gears in his head ticking furiously at the thought. Finally, he nodded his head and smirked, saying that my idea wasn't such a bad plan, a..._proud_ glint in his eye? I Felt my heart swell with accomplishment, happy to please him. But on the outside, I simply flicked my hair arrogantly and smirked with my head held high, bragging about how street-smarts can occasionally help the genius business man once in a while, even if he's not willing to admit it. Kyoya simply chuckled going back to writing whatever he was writing before we interrupted him. Haruhi whispered to me that if it wasn't for Kyoya-Senpai, the Host Club would have spiralled into the depth of bankruptcy a long time ago. I wholeheartedly agreed, knowing we were both thinking of the idiot king and his 'impulsive' ideas.

Just as I was thinking that, Honey's cries filled my ears. I searched for him through the crowd of girls, both his and my height a problem to find each other among the sea of bloated yellow skirts. I could only hear the soft thuds of his bare feet until he finally made it within my eyesight, Honey still crying out in distress.  
"Aya-Chan, Haru-Chan! I don't know how but I lost one of my sandals..." He moaned, rubbing his teary eyes with his sleeve. His kimono was a delicate blend between feminine and manly, the inside cloth a soft green while the outside a salmon pink with yellow sunflowers plastered around it. It had the entire room of girls hearts melting in a second, everyone scrambling to find the damn sandal, I wasn't having it though. I gently hit him on the top of his head, my hands on my hips as I gave him a 'Are you serious?' look. He looked at me with that stubborn expression he always gave me when he knows that cute little face ain't working on me. Haruhi walked up to him, saying he was just wearing them, shaking her head in confusion. I sighed with exasperation.  
"Look if you're so bothered about it, you can wear mine, I just had a pedicure done yesterday so It's not like I got crusty feet or anything" I said, rolling my eyes and taking off my sandals to give him. His eyes shined with gratitude, clutching the footwear to his chest in his excitement "I know they don't have a blue strap like yours but white goes with your outfit so-Are you actually crying again? What's the problem _now_?" He jumped up with a happy squeal, wrapping his arms around my neck and squeezing me tightly, tears in his eyes. I tried to pry him from me as he called my name softly, the infatuated sighs of the surrounding girls now filling the room. "Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing, now get off of me already, geez. Are you _always_ this clingy?" That was Haruhi's cue to start laughing at me, even attempting to muffle it with her sleeve once I noticed her. Just as I finally got Honey to stop clinging to me and put my shoes on, Honey happily walking around in them as he was flooded with compliments of his cuteness, Mori arrived.  
"Mitsukuni" He called out, his voice low and deep. He kneeled down, raising Honey's foot with his original sandal in his hand, only to find that Honey already had some on. I slapped Mori on the back and said,  
"sorry bud, you're too late. I've already given him mine because we have the same foot size." I said in an apologetic tone, seeing his crestfallen face. I guess he was beating himself up about not taking care of Honey as sufficiently as normal.  
"Takashi, Takashi! Look, Aya-Chan gave me her sandals!" He cried, running up to him. "She's not as mean as we thought!" I laughed and said don't go spreading that around, I don't want to lose the bitchy image I spend so long making. Honey giggled and ran off again, probably going to eat cake or something. Mori watched him go, his expression forming into a calm one now that he realised Honey was fine. I just scoffed and said you run after him too much, you need to take a break once in a while. Mori just gave me a small smile and got up to go after Honey anyway, shaking his head at my suggestion. I really don't understand them both, but then again, I don't really understand _any_ of the Host Club members. Haruhi looked at the squealing girls with exasperation.

"Seems like tears are popular with the ladies today but how are they able to cry so easily?" She muttered, looking at the boys sceptically. I just shrugged, saying maybe they were just good actors, knowing I have the ability to cry on cue as well. But when Haruhi stepped back, bumping into Hikaru in the process, a small bottle fell out of his kimono sleeve. I picked it up, reading 'high grade teardrops' from the label. Haruhi looked at them with a deadpan look, asking disgruntled what it was. The twins just smirked.  
"For your information, it's common for a host to use eyedrops" Kaoru explained,  
"No woman alive can resist a man on the brink of tears" Hikaru added, as if to excuse their cheating methods. I scoffed, telling them that I could easily resist a man crying or even a woman at that. They just turned their nose up at me and said that I didn't count as an ordinary woman. I tried to take that comment as a compliment, _I really tried_. Meanwhile, Haruhi voiced how their method would be considered cheating, me agreeing and telling them of my amazing acting skills. The boy's just laughed, wrapping one arm around our shoulders and poking our cheek with their other-Hikaru with me and Kaoru with Haruhi. They told us both us not to be such party poopers. A mischievous glint flashed in my eyes as I opened my mouth wide, preparing to shout.  
"BUT HOW CAN YOU USE EYEDR-" A startled Kaoru ran to clamp his hand down on my mouth, abandoning Haruhi as he attempted to hush me. A muffled laugh was heard behind his hand as I tried to warn him to get off of me...He didn't listen. So my tongue decided to poke out and greet his palm, my laughter filling the room as Kaoru yelped like a little girl and ran away from me, to Hikaru's side.  
"I tried to warn ya" I said nonchalantly, shrugging innocently. Kaoru had nothing to say while Hikaru just glared at me, not finding it all that funny. Guess you can't please everyone, you know? They turned their back to me, smiling sweetly as they gave Haruhi something, I jumped to try to see past their bodies, curiosity burning inside me at the prospect of an expensive present. In Haruhi's palm was a single sweet in a clear small box, one of those high-class Japanese teacakes that was more expensive than my whole apartment building's rent combined...And only Haruhi was allowed it. Meanies.  
"Is this for me?" She asked in a small voice, causing the twins to grin widely and say 'how cute' at her question. I could see a small blush form on her cheeks. I suppose it was a_ little_ cute, but does that mean _my_ looks didn't qualify for one!? These twins could be stubborn bitches when they wanted to be, you know? The fangirls took this chance however to find something else to squeal over, quickly asking Haruhi if he liked sweet things. But Haruhi just shook her head. "Honestly, I don't really...But it would be a nice memorial offering for my mother." She explained, gazing at the treat with nostalgia. The girls all blushed significantly, gasping at her thoughtless act. They were like putty in her hands sometimes, much too easy to excite. The mood was ruined though when Tamaki ran up to us, loudly proclaiming how admirable she was, his stupid ponytail flickering as he spun around dramatically.  
"Your devotion to your mother's memory is simply amazing!" He said, pressing his face closer to hers. "Here Haruhi, take as many as you like" That's when he began piling sweet after sweet onto her palms, Haruhi giving him a distasteful look while the Host Club applauded his efforts. I just rolled my eyes at the idiocy of it all, the tears in his eyes clearly fake.  
"Let me guess, the tears are fake"She criticized him, her voice void of emotion. Tamaki looked hurt by her words, even more so when I defended her.  
"Exactly, an idiot like you could never pull of a real sobbing scene, I've seen a spoon with more acting skills than you, your emotional range consists of 'flirty idiot' to 'depressed emo', with nothing in between" I said, shaking my head. He defended himself in a hushed tone, a single tear falling from his closed lids as he said that a true host has no need for eyedrops. God, must he be so dramatic about _everything_?.  
"Tell me girls, does that impress you?" He suddenly asked us both, an arrogant expression on his face. "Have you fallen for me yet, Haruhi?" The Host Club had already lost interest; Honey had already fallen asleep in Mori's arms, the twins were yawning as they walked away and Kyoya was totally oblivious to it all, still writing on his parchment. While Haruhi uttered a mocking 'You wish!' to his question, I simply shrugged helplessly, unaffected by his shining violet orbs as I stuffed Haruhi's excessive amount of sweets into my mouth before Tamaki could object. Kyoya warned me from across the room to watch what I eat or I'll put on weight, but I just scoffed and stuffed another one into my mouth out of spite. He may be my manager, but he's not about to tell me what I can and can't eat.

Then, just before I got into another argument session with Kyoya, I heard Tamaki's rambling about how he should up his game slowly die down until only silence was heard. I looked to see that the Host Club was staring at a girl half hidden by some columns bordering a side entrance. She seemed shy by the way she quietly observed us, no intention to move on her features at all. She had honey blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, a large pink ribbon tied to the top of her head, a typical girls uniform on her back. As the Host Club chorused that they had a brand new guest, she stumbled back slightly from the attention she was getting, her long fringe hiding her expression as she hung her head shyly. How cute. The twins wasted no time in getting her on their side as they glided over to the door, Hikaru arriving first and leaning against the column in what I presume was a 'cool, but in an effortless way' stance.  
"Come on in, what are you waiting for?" He said, smoothly plucking a rose from his sleeve and holding it out for her. That's when Kaoru showed up and leaned against him, saying that looking from afar was no fun, an identical rose in his hand.  
"Please, miss..." They whispered together, gazing at her invitingly. But it did nothing but startle the girl more, a worried gasp escaped her lips as she took a step away from them. A smart move in my opinion, I wouldn't want such a timid girl to be mixed up with that rowdy bunch of Yaoi fans...It would not be pretty. Tamaki picked up on her bashful nature immediately, telling the twins to stop it, lecturing them on how many times he had told them be more courteous to their first time guests, leading my thoughts to when me and Haruhi stumbled upon them. I don't remember such warnings when Haruhi was being flung around like Usa-Chan by Honey and I was forced to choose a Host I had no attraction to whatsoever (without any sort of escape on the matter)._ What hypocrites, _I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for the idiot to pick it up. Whether he heard me or not, Tamaki chose to ignore my comment and turn on the charm for the new girl, hoping her skittish ways would die down once she was_ hypnotised_ by the king's_ grace _and_ beauty_ (Note the sarcasm). He turned and reached out his hand for her to take, spouting some of his usual crap about how the 'princess' shouldn't be afraid now that he's saved her. I looked on with contempt, forcing myself not to just scream at the girl to run for the hills, knowing she could be my potential fan and I had my own interests at heart, forget about_ her_ well-being. I could hear the poor girl's uneven breath as she blushed profoundly and looked down at the floor, making me wonder if it was because of her attraction to the king or her embarrassment of the whole situation. But whatever her feelings were, her innocent little face made me want to run and save her from the whole ordeal anyhow, the girl very pretty in my eyes. But what happened next surprised us all. She shrieked out a shrill no, her voice nasally and grating to the ears. Her attraction harshly dropped after that, her voice practically dripping with the sound of a spoilt rich brat. But even I couldn't help but burst into peals of laughter when she shoved the king's shocked face away from her and made him crash the floor, a wounded expression on his face. You could tell immediately it was his pride that hurt more the girl's attack on his 'beautiful face'.  
"Don't touch me, you're a phony!" She cried out, panicking slightly. The Host Club stared at her in utter perplextion, not sure what that little outburst meant. Meanwhile, I was still rolling on the floor laughing, a wicked grin on my face as I blatantly showed my enjoyment in the kings pain. Kyoya looked like he was ready to tell me off but I wasn't the one who slapped him in the face, was I? So it's not like he could blame me. Tears pricked at the king's eyes as he cradled his face, his nose a little red from the attack as he stuttered out an uncertain question, trying to find out what she meant.  
"You heard what I said, you PHONY!" She screeched again, shoving an accusing finger in his face. I gasped for more breath as I found her less than endearing voice a little more tolerable when she was ripping out the king's heart bit by bit, his expression one of a kicked puppy now.  
"W-W-Wow Tamaki...You sure have a loyal fan there, don't you!? Just how do you manage to get such adoring fans?...HAHA" I spluttered, wiping a tear from my eye as I leaned on Haruhi for support, trying to tame my fit of giggles once Kyoya began to reprimand me for showing up the Host Club with my actions. The scowl on his face was enough to dim anyone's mood down, my amusement of the situation now only shown by my wide grin, which I happily flashed at Kyoya. He didn't look impressed.  
"I find it hard to believe that someone like you could be the_ prince character of this Host Club_!" The spite that leaked out from the sentence was more than a little unnerving to me, does she not a life? Who goes around judging Host Clubs on their princely types? This girl needs to get laid or something, her sexual frustration must be clouding her judge on how absurd she's acting over something so stupid. "You shouldn't be spreading your love around so carelessly: You're _stupid_, you must be a dim-witted_ narcissist_, you're_ incompetent_, you're a _commoner_ and you're _disgusting_" Insult after insult she lashed out at him, Tamaki looking physically pained by it all before he had some sort of seizure and ended up a crumpled, broken man on the floor by the end of it. I could practically see his spirit slowly rise from his body as if the verbal attack had emotionally hurt him to death, or at least, that's what he was acting like. This man just can't take criticism too well, can he? _But still, wow!,_ I thought, _I thought I was harsh when I insulted him but she took the term 'no filter' to a new level_. This girl was becoming more and more like the sort of customer I want around, even if she was still excessively annoying.

A mischievous smirk was planted on my face as I knelt in front of Tamaki's destroyed soul, a concerned look on my face.  
"Tamaki, Tamaki speak to me, are you OK?" I said frantically, tears gathering in my blue orbs. "Please, Tamaki, don't listen to her, it's not true! You're a wonderful Host, you aren't just a member of the Host Club, you _make_ the Host Club! And you're more a prince to me than any other member..." I let a single tear roll down my cheek at my words, my almond-shaped eyes hooded by my half closed lids, my eyelashes gleaming because the tears caught in them. Tamaki's own eyes lit up, asking hoarsely if what I said was true...Only for me then laugh mercilessly in his face. "God, you really are an idiot, NO! I just wanted to show you how someone _really_ pulls off a crying scene, your work earlier was laughable." I said bluntly, standing up and walking over to give the twins a high-five as Tamaki dropped his head back down to the ground in a shame filled grunt, truly and utterly defeated. OK, maybe I **am** just as evil to Tamaki as this hysterical brat, but at least I don't sound like I have a dog's squeaker toy stuck in my throat. The boy's looked on with an exasperated expression, not quite sure what took place. I wasn't entirely sure how this whole scenario started myself, but I sure as hell wanted to know who this chick was, just as much as everybody else.  
"I don't suppose you are..." Kyoya started, drawing our attention to him. That is, until the Host-crazy hysterical girl stopped her shrieking. Her eyes went wide with spirals of emotion, her breathing uneven as she her legs began to shake.  
"It's you!" She cried, her voice strangely soft and feminine as she ran and leapt into his arms, her heels crunching heavily onto Tamaki's abdomen on the way. "Oh how I longed to meet you, my one and only prince charming..." It didn't take a genius to know what was going on.

* * *

"You're a fiancé?" Hikaru asked in disbelief to the girl, the Host Club now settled down as we'd arranged ourselves on the various couches we'd lumped together in hopes to find out what the hell was going on. I was sitting with my arms and legs sprawled out languidly, sitting next to Kyoya who'd been silent while his 'Fiance' was having questions thrown relentlessly her way this whole time, the customers all gone home except this one who was causing all the problems today.  
"Of Kyoya-Senpai?" Kaoru added, even more astounded. I admit it was a hard thing to accept, I mean, how could someone like _that_ be Kyoya's fiancé? When I think of a girlfriend for Kyoya, I think a refined conserved lady with a neat bun and a pleated skirt, maybe even a condescending scowl on her face to match the one Kyoya pulls when I do something too 'silly' for his liking. You certainly don't picture a girl with a pink bow in her hair shrieking at a Host about how bad of a fake prince he was while swooning at the sight of her 'beloved'. What a strange pairing...But hey, it's not like I've ever asked Kyoya his type so for all I know, he could be into annoying, clingy and pathetic girlfriends who sound like a mouse on laughing gas?...Or this was all set up by his parents because she's an influential rich girl of a business partner. I'll take my bets on the latter.  
"Of course, my name is Renge Houshakuji and I'm transferring into Ouran academy first year, class A tomorrow." As everyone sat down and listened to her from the couch, Tamaki had decided to retreat into his 'Emo corner' in a depressive state, clearly not happy with Renge's 'critiques'. That boy loves to silently brood with the carefully positioned pose of a model, doesn't he?  
"Why is he sulking?" Hikaru said, his voice deadpan. Kaoru said it was because 'Mummy' was keeping something from 'Daddy', saying it in a taunting tone. I looked up at Kyoya with wide eyes, tugging at his sleeve with a trembling lip.  
"D-D-Daddy, are you getting a divorce with mummy?" I asked quietly, my eyes watering. "Why did you cheat on mummy? I thought you loved her..." Kyoya didn't find my joke too funny.  
"Whatever, why does everyone keep referring to us as Husband and wife?" He huffed in annoyance, shaking his head as he made a point of glaring at me. I grinned up at him innocently, acting like I had no idea of his irritation.  
"Ok...Daddy" I had to bite my lip from bursting out with laughter at his expression. Just then, Renge interrupted us by continuing the conversation from earlier, oblivious to our obvious lack of interest now, the appeal of finding out the origin of this newly discovered couple lost. Her face lit up with admiration as she discussed Kyoya's appealing traits.  
"The way you adored those flowers in the backyard when you thought no one else was looking, and how you smiled when you reached out to that poor lost kitten..." As she droned on, me and the twins looked at each other with skepticism at her memories of Kyoya, is she getting him confused with someone else?  
"Is she serious?" The twins echoed at me the more she talked, Haruhi also joining the club of nonbelievers. She politely asked is she was mistaking him for someone else but she quickly reverted back into a denying hysterical episode, shouting at Haruhi that she would never be confused when it came to her love. As she went on about how gentle and kind and sweet and how never asks for anything in return, the entire host club save Kyoya were running around in a frantic state, practically pulling out our hair at her words, her words not computing with how we understood Kyoya. While the Host Club burst into a fit of disarray and confusion, her final words finally clicked all of her evidence into place and I realised how all of this made sense.

"-And he also looks like the star of the popular otome game, **Uki-Doki Memorial**!" I slowed my pace at her words, recognising what game she was talking about, her description as popular not an exaggeration, the game priceless in the Otome world. Even though it wasn't my cup of tea, I had enough otome-loving friends to hear about how appealing it is to girls our age, the game ground-breaking in its beautiful art and heart-breaking backstories. "You are my ICHIJO MIYABI-KUN!". The chaos in the room froze at her words, a rush of cold air blowing through the room. The Host Club didn't dare move, their thoughts a mystery to me since I was about 98% sure they didn't know about the game. Eventually, they spoke up.  
"Uki?" Honey asked, confused.  
"Doki?..." Haruhi added, her delicate face pinching in bewilderment. While Mori stayed silent, his slightly furrowed eyebrows the only indicator of his perplexity, the twins and Tamaki reacting in a more erratic way.  
"OTAKU!" Tamaki and Hikaru yelled at the top of their voice, their features etched with shock, fear in their eyes.  
"I've never seen one before!" I facepalmed at the stupidness of their reaction, thinking they were laying it on a little thick, weren't they?  
"My god, you don't get out much, do you? We do live in the capital of the anime/manga empire, this Otome game is like the bible in the world of visual novels, and this Ichijo is one of the most popular love interests in the game, aside from the blonde princely-type who is the main seller for the game" I mumbled, rolling my eyes. Everyone quickly picked up on my knowledge of the game, their shocked gazes turning to me._ 'You're not an Otaku as well, are you Ayane?'_, that's what their eyes were begging to ask, their body tense for the answer as if I about to say 'you're the father of my baby' or something. I sighed, rolling my eyes.  
"No, I wouldn't consider myself an Otaku per say, as I'm clearly not a lunatic like her, but I'm not gonna deny I haven't played an Otome game or two in my life, just not this overly-cliched romantic crap this girl clearly loves. I prefer games like 'Sadistic mistress on sexy island', you know, more X rated stuff." I admitted, shrugging my shoulders. I watched as the everyone's raised eyebrow twitched at my answer, my reply clearly not what they were expecting. The attention however was easily drawn to Kyoya as he deciphered why the erratic girl was here. He stated that she clearly loved the character and was projecting that same love onto him because of their similar appearances, deluding herself into thinking they were engaged. I pitched in the character wears glasses as well, running over to my bag. While the Host Club wondered what I was up to, I sought to quell the nagging suspicion I felt once I'd said those words. I was so sure that I had-AHA, found it! I walked back to the boys with a magazine in my hand, titled 'Otome Monthly', flipping past the various vibrant adverts plastered with large breasted girls in maid outfits and Tsundere Loli's wearing a swimsuit until I found the right article. I held up the page in question to show the boy's, Kyoya taking the magazine from me as he instantly found the Kyoya lookalike on the page, complete with a warm smile on its face and an injured kitten in its hand. This little tidbit of help earned me a nod of approval from Kyoya at my relevant piece of evidence, a questioning hum escaping his lips as he fixed his glasses to study the article closer. The rest of the Host Club looked on in exasperation at his calmness of the situation, not quite believing his indifference to all of this. You would think this Host Club was used to craziness with the way they go on everyday, but perhaps its just that me and Haruhi's commoner brains just can't fathom a rich brats way of life and this was not considered normal by posh standards. Tamaki asked if she was really making it up, glancing at the excited girl as she skipped across the room gleefully. Kyoya crossed his leg and rested a finger on his chin in a pondering pose, admitting he never recalled asking for her hand in marriage. The Host Club collectively let out a sigh of relief, the worried bead of sweat forming on their brow stopped now that they realised he had never even met the woman. I rolled my eyes, laughing at him as I told him that she didn't seem like your type, he looked more like the kinda guy who has a lady librarian fetish. Kyoya simply looked blankly at me.

"According to my research, you're in charge of running to my club, aren't you Kyoya?" Renge sat with her hands clasped in infatuation, rushing to sit next to him, so close their knees were brushing. What a slut.  
"That's right, Kyo-Chan is our director!" Honey exclaimed, standing on tippy toes so he could see her from behind the couch. She tried to suppress a squeal, failing as she gasped in excitement.  
"Oh wow, I've always wanted to be a draw-girl for a business" She sighed, gazing dreamily off into the distance. The twins told her that we didn't advertise and we're just a Host Club, while I yelled that the position of a sexy girl enticing the customers was already taken, there was only room for one girl in this Host Club. I didn't notice till later that I forgot to count Haruhi as a girl in the female employee count in this business, but It's not like I got my point across to the foolish girl anyway as Renge chose to ignore mine and everyone else's comments around her. She took it upon herself to be appointed the manager of the Host Club, a determined look in her eyes as she undoubtedly began planning on how to impress Kyoya with her business skills. I pouted, looking at Kyoya expectedly, he can't allow this foolishness, can he? I liked being the only girl in the Host Club, it was nice flirting with girls and teasing the boys, not to mention the rich perks like makeovers and designer outfits. If she decided to join the club now, it would break the delicate dynamic of the Host Club and I would never allow that, it was too dangerous. Besides, the attention I got as the only girl the customers knew wasn't so bad either...  
"Errm, listen. Kyoya-"  
"Miss Houshakuji is the only daughter of a very important business partner of the Ootori family" He explained his actions to Tamaki who had just spoke, he seemed deflated by the words. I just frowned at his words, not as happy as I would have been previously at my instincts about the importance of this girl being correct, wondering if everyone of his friends had some kind of importance to his family's company, the Host Club or for his own gain. That was probably the case, raising another question in my head about how many of these idiots he must pretend to like on a daily basis, knowing it would drive him crazy. In fact, how many of his friends are his _real_ friends and not just a scam to be close to a potential business partner anyway, does he even like anybody enough for that role? It seemed like a lonely job to do, even if it was for the sake of his family's Company. "...So please try to be polite and don't offend her, all right?" His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, looking to see him smirking as usual. Maybe I was thinking about it too much? I should be more focused on the way he blatantly stared at me as his final words left his mouth, his gaze hard to break. It was as if he wanted to instill the very words into me through sheer willpower, him knowing me too well to know I wouldn't just_ not_ voice my annoyance of her on the spot. I say what's on my mind and I don't think when I talk, if I seem rude, I honestly don't try to be, its just a reflex to say what I think as I think it. If it helps him, I could tell him about the numerous times it gotten me into trouble, but he'd probably be too busy kissing Renge's ass from now on to listen. But the look on Kyoya's had me thinking it would be best to try to keep my mouth in check, for fear he would set his private police on me. I'm much too pretty to last long in prison, you see. Although, after watching _Orange is the new black_, the thought of a prison wife does seem appealing...

* * *

**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated!** _What do you think of my introduction to RENGE? Did you like the way Ayane reacted to her?_

Hi, I finally got this chapter done, I spend a lot of energy on it so I hope you like it! :)

Hi again, I've finally gotten back onto the main story again, my last chapter one of the uncommon ones where nothing in the chapter whatsoever is relevant to the main story, as most chapters I will think up myself will still add to the main story in some way but that time, I decided a private heart to heart with Haruhi was needed :) So this chapter is pretty much a typical chapter, nothing too exciting happening yet as I just wanted this chapter to introduce Renge, who I have a feeling will have some sort of love-Hate relationship with Ayane *Hint Hint*. After all, Ayane does spend a lot of time with Kyoya and they do understand how each other act by now, as well as the fact Ayane finds her really annoying, even if she did find her appearance cute when she first saw her. I think the next chapter will be more eventful as they are obviously doing the movie and Ayane will have a special task ahead of her, as well as another song to sing, I wonder if you can guess the song that's going to be used for the production of the Ouran Host Club movie? It's going to be pretty well known and kinda obvious...Hehehe...

I was thinking about adding some jealousy bits in this part with Renge all over Kyoya but I don't think her feeling for _**any**_ members of the Host Club have actually formed into proper affection yet, as they haven't even known each other that long at this point, so all her actions towards the boys are purely classmate feelings, not even proper friends yet I suppose, not until Haruhi and Ayane spent some more time with the boys and learn more about them. :) But of course that isn't to say she still likes the fact this bossy spoilt brat has gone to this Host Club, stolen Kyoya's attention away from her, acted like she is the boss of the place and has officially become the 'main girl' of the Host club. She probably feels she's being replaced as all those things were her attributions to the club and now that Renge is here...she's probably going to start some sparks even while still being friendly to her in some parts (I can see them having a lot in common as Ayane likes anime/manga and japanese games as well). I can already picture some good chemistry between these girls so wish me luck and I hopefully will put it down in the chapter correctly :)

Also, I'm trying to focus my attention on certain aspects of my writing, the last chapter being my description of the scenery as I hadn't really done it at all in previous chapters, this time I tried to focus (As silly as it sounds) on the negative personality aspects of Ayane, to make her seem more relatable and not well too 'perfectly made'. I've seen it countless times when people turns these great characters with interesting backstories and personalities into mary sues purely because they have no dimension on the character and all they are is a 'cool OC' with a 'tragic backstory'...and thats it. A tragic backstory isn't an excuse to say that a bad part of your characters personality is their emotional problems, you know? They need to be so that the reader love them but at times think 'thats not something I look for in a person'', without making you guys suddenly HATE her or anything (I'd hate to make her into a BAD person, just someone with a few bad personality traits that can't be overlooked but aren't a big deal, such as Katniss everdeen . She is selfless as she sacrifices herself for her sister in disregard to her own safety, but she is still a cynical and moody person, and not very nice to be around as people in the movies and book found out) So I decided to keep with my original character plan and make her

-Slightly Vain at times (She's is usually on about her appearance and all about flaunting her self and flirting, as you've read in previous chapters)

- Is quite cynical (she doesn't really trust anyone, and even she isn't fully trusting with her closest friend Haruhi as she has yet to tell her any aspect of her past. Even though shes quite close to them now, she clearly doesn't trust people with information that is important to her-shes only opened up to Haruhi but that is more to do with their similar situation with their mum and their lack of friends for the reason of their close bond))

-Likes to be the centre of attention (As you read when she was at the party, she loves to be the centre of attention and is not shy at all, this can be quite hard to share the spotlight when someone like Renge enters the picture and changes everything)

-Can seem rude (She does tend to tease Tamaki in a sort of cruel way, even if it is in joking spirits, and her first opinions of other people are usually harsh and cynical, and will stay like that even when she likes them. Such as the way she calls the host club shitty rich kids and spoilt brats

That's all from me, so I promise to update soon and get the second half of this story arc over with as I have next week off of college and no extra work to do because I worked as hard as Ayane and almost broke my hand from writing all my assignments!

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_


	13. Hollywood star, Me? Oh well thank you!

_**THE NEXT DAY...**_

* * *

The clock had just struck three and we were all gathered around a table, the cushioned wooden chairs had been brought round to seat those who couldn't get to the sofa in time, a sofa that matched the chairs design perfectly-Regal and elegant. I was lucky and had managed to squeeze onto the sofa, right in between Kyoya and Tamaki.  
"I've thought about it a lot last night and maybe having a lady manager isn't such a bad idea" Tamaki started, his voice surprisingly optimistic. I looked at him, my pout deepening and my arms starting to cross. What about yesterday when he realised how horrible she was!? Did he get so brain damaged he forget the string of abuse she caused him!?  
"Why do you say that?" I blurted out, suspicious of his plans for this extra girl. What can she do that I can't? Don't _I_ help Kyoya enough with the clubs plans? Is it because I'm not as smart as her so he needs some other pretty girl to do taxes with him? Or is it just because I don't look at him with puppy dog eyes and follow his every word religiously? I leaned further into the plush couch, my disbelief and frustration of the situation increasing ten fold as I began to doubt my commitment to the club.  
"Well it's fairly obvious, Isn't it?" He began, crossing his legs. "Renge is getting transferred into the same class as Haruhi so if Haruhi has a female around, it could bring out the girl within her. Renge's girlish air of tenderness might be able to stimulate Haruhi's own femininity." Haruhi let out an _'Ack!?'_at the explanation, her expression sinking into one of displeasure as a 'good grief' escaped her lips. I was more heated by his explanation however, realising Tamaki was trying to replace me as Haruhi's best girlfriend. I hide my resentment of Renge and how much Tamaki's words antagonised me, deciding to shake it off instead. I placed a grin on my face as I did it, my bitterness hidden from the boys as Tamaki continued his ridiculous reasoning.  
"Now is our chance to glimpse a touch of her feminine side, this is an important project men! She doesn't have any friends in her class right now except those shady twins. You're just no good for her..." He spoke with much more fire than before, an excited lightening of energy dancing across his eyes at the thought. Lovestruck idiot. While the twins tilted their head and crossed their arms, an eyebrow raised questionably as they told him that he's one to talk, Tamaki's words finally caused me to snap and want myself to get involved as well. I sighed as I planned to launch my attack on Tamaki, not ready to listen to much more of this. Haruhi had already began to look at me with a sense of worry but I just winked at her and opened my mouth to speak, a evil smirk playing on my lips.  
"Errm, hello? Are you forgetting something dear Tamaki?" I said sweetly, placing my hand on his arm gently, as feminine as it comes. He glanced down at me with surprise, thinking it was strange for me to talk to him so nicely. I put on an innocent smile, my eyes losing their usual intensity and instead became softer, gentler. "You know I'm her best friend _and_ a girl, so I'm sure that whining bitc-That sweet girl isn't needed for such a roll, hmm?" Tamaki's eyes widened at my act, his lip trembling as he fell straight into my trap, his purple eyes wavering with hesitation until-  
"NO! Don't try and trick me, I know what a bad influence you are on my precious Haruhi!" He yelled hysterically, wrenching his arm from me dramatically. I rolled my eyes, my act _almost_ worked. "You are nothing but her demonic little sister and my big girl needs better, more kinder friends to associate with" I flinched as he spoke, his last words so similar to my father's reasons for hating me I couldn't hide the hurt that flashed on my face. I looked to the floor quickly, my hair hiding my dejected expression. I didn't need Tamaki questioning my sudden sadness to his opinion of me since I've never been affected by it before. I saw Tamaki tense slightly, my hand still on his arm, but the moment I felt him shift I put on my cheery expression and looked at him, a giggle escaping my lips.  
"Hmm, that's true, I guess...But I'm still a girl and we still do girly things together!" I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Tamaki looked at me, his eyes searching for something in my face before he finally relaxed and let out a sound of disbelief at my words. I silently hoped he would forget about whatever he thought he saw on my face, not about to explain to Tamaki my true feelings since I couldn't even trust Haruhi with that.

"I think it's a good idea for you, Ayane, to befriend this girl as well" Kyoya suddenly piped up, fixing his glasses as he put his notebook down. I looked at him in surprise, not thinking he would join in with this conversation. "I think it would be a good opportunity for you to be around a sophisticated young lady, her polite mannerisms may rub off onto you. This could help you become a more refined lady of society and you'll hopefully become more..._Manageable_ for me." I started laughing, rolling my eyes and telling him I thought I told him at Christmas I would never become a lady, especially not one like that french brat. Turns out Renge was from France, having lived there since she was 10. I had been quite confused where she was from at first since none of her features are Japanese, her beauty taking on a more foreign look and her european charm leaving no trace of Japanese heritage at all. But from the way she spoke perfect Japanese, it was more than a little confusing to find out where her ethnicity stood.  
"Besides, me and Haruhi are super duper mature AND girly" I proclaimed, staring at both Kyoya and Tamaki. "We talk about Rainbows and unicorns, how we wish to be a princess, pretty flowers in the meadow, long frilly skirts that sway in the breeze and-" I stopped with a wide grin when I saw that Kyoya knew I wasn't taking this seriously, his expression one of exasperation. "God, you guys overreact. I may not be some sophisticated lady OR a damsel in a dress but I do still have the right physical parts of a woman, if you know what I mean" I said indifferently, shrugging my shoulders as the boys began to blush at my words. "Besides, by the way you guys reacted at dance practice before Christmas, you guy's _definitely_ see me as a smexy woman-Unless you react that way to men, because if you do, we might need to have a little chat about your sexual orientation" I laughed as Tamaki started to have a coughing fit, choking on air at my words. Deciding I had teased them enough, I grinned and pushed Kyoya playfully, rolling my eyes and finally saying 'fine, I'll give this Renge a chance but if it fails, then maybe I'll show you how much of a girl I can be'. The suggestive eyebrow wiggle and flirty hair flick I added wasn't received as well as I'd hoped, Kyoya sighing and staring at me with the look of a concerned mother. Brushing off his concern of how posh I acted, I focused my thoughts more on Renge and how quickly I could get rid of her. The twins shook their head at me, grinning once I threw myself onto the couch opposite to them. Before Kyoya could tell me off for the way I sat, the door opened and, speak of the devil, that Renge girl strolled in, clueless to the bet that had just taken place about her.  
"Hey everyone, you'll be happy to know that your new manager Renge is going to make you all some delicious cookies!" Renge announced, half her body hidden from view because of the door. I caught the frilly white lace of an apron on her however, thinking it was strange for a rich brat to be able to cook. Don't they have private chefs for that? "I've never made them before though...But I'm sure that Ayane can help me, being a fellow lady and all." I snorted, realising I was right. This girl was useless and wanted me to do all the work so she can take the credit. As If I'd let that happen.  
"Well, my gender has been quite debatable today, ask Tamaki for details, so I'm sure you can manage it yourself and-"  
"Don't be silly!" She giggled, her laugh sounding more like a cackle than a cute sound of amusement. How is this witch more girly than me again? "You're the prettiest girl in this room, I'm sure you're going to be a perfect wife in the future. So I think a fellow perfect future wife like you can help me with a few simple cookies, OK?" My head snapped up at her words, a flattered smile spreading across my face. I mean, she'd obviously said I'm the prettiest girl in the room and since she hasn't stepped foot in the room yet, I'm clearly the **_only_** girl in the room...But if it's a compliment, I'm going to take it, no matter how shabby it was.  
"Hehe, well I'm sure a few simple cookies can't be much work...OK, sure, I'll help you but Haruhi has to come with me too since she's got the perfect recipe for some chocolate chip ones." I stood up, my arm linking with Renge's as if I'd known her my whole life, thinking it would be best to take Kyoya's advice and be friendly towards her so she doesn't go all hysterical bitch on me, finding her much more enjoyable when she's not breaking the record of highest primal screech. I prepared to depart, reaching out an inviting hand for Haruhi to take, not planning to leave without her. She didn't look happy, glancing at Tamaki with a startled expression, begging with her eyes to be allowed to stay. The Host Club jumped up with sudden ferocity though, running away at high speed, most of them having tears running down their faces (Save Mori and Kyoya).  
"This is part of your training Haruhi, Father has to be cold-hearted!" Tamaki cried out in distress, the Host Club now hiding behind the couch, crouched with fear at the thought of going with Renge. I realised then that I needed Haruhi to come, knowing her level-headed mind will keep me in check while I was away from Kyoya, a man who was probably thinking the same thing as me by the way he kept glancing at me with a stressed expression. A frazzled Haruhi quickly turned to Kyoya, who had been casually writing this whole time in the chair, probably planning to stay out of the drama.  
"Go on, but be warned that if something goes wrong, both you will have your debt doubled" He muttered before Haruhi had even said anything more than an 'Erm'. Her outstretched hand flopped back down to her side in defeat, Haruhi dragging her feet over to me and Renge with a dispirited sigh...

* * *

We were in the first cooking room, a room just adjacent to the Host Club. Renge had kindly given us aprons for the task, even adding a matching cloth to tie to our head so we looked more like housewifes, or at least, that was her excuse for wearing them anyway. Renge's was white with a floral design dotted around the fabric whereas Haruhi's had a more repetitive pattern. Haruhi's was checkered red and white, much like a picnic cloth and mine was bright red with the words **'Kiss the chef, you know you want to'** printed onto it with large bubble handwriting. I think it reflected our personalities well. The kitchen, as usual, was impeccable, the school's budget for cooking class unlimited when it came to expensive ingredients and utensils. A large glass window let light flood through the bright room, rows of white granite counters stretched across the floor and gleamed with cleanliness, the large fridges and silver cookers reflecting light onto the countless utensils hanging overhead from the ceiling. It was paradise for someone like Haruhi who loved to cook, but for someone who can just about make pasta without the fire alarm going off, it was dangerous territory. The one thing I could pride myself however was that I knew _how_ to cook, its just that when I put the theory work into practice, I failed the test immediately. While I left Renge to herself and got all the pots, pans and utensils out, I watched Haruhi as she darted from fridge to cooker to counter and back again, seeing the cookies being made at a very sufficient rate. I told Haruhi that it was Renge who was enthusiastic to cook so I could (begrudgingly) do the cleaning side of work, not liking that task any more than cooking the damn things but preferring to do that opposed to starting a fire. I was more of the taste tester type than a world class chef.  
"Should I put more sugar in the cream?" Renge asked excitedly, carelessly carrying a bowl of mixture across the floor, the contents slopping over the edge of the bowl.  
"Ah, yes...How's the chocolate going?" Haruhi absentmindedly answered, focusing on the hot tray of half baked cookies in her hands, protected by comically large red oven mitts.  
"Everything's going fine, I'm melting them now" She proudly answered, pointing to the pot of chocolate melting,_ on a direct flame_. Haruhi began to freak out, shouting in alarm that you should never put chocolate on a direct flame!  
"It's basic knowledge luv, it'll separate if you do it like that. Baka~" I called out, laughing to show her I was joking. She was thankfully not easily disheartened, Renge always quick to simply jump to another job if she can't manage the first one, leaving half finished work for me to complete and causing the dirty dishes to pile up. Haruhi had a hard time baking her batch while watching the enthusiastic girl, me happily exclaiming every time something went wrong that I could do a better job, boosting my ego a little with every disaster. Unfortunately, her mistakes meant more cooking jobs _and_ washing for me, the pile of dishes steadily getting larger and larger until it towered over me hideously, me almost in tears at the amount. Although, I must admit I was mostly procrastinating anyway, talking with Haruhi and mocking Renge's cooking, Renge slowly becoming more and more worked up, determined to prove me wrong...

* * *

_What the three of us failed to realise was that the entire time the Host Club was watching us from the door, their eyes glazing over with adoration as they watched the 'cute' girls interact in such a 'beautiful' way. Only Mori and Kyoya were acting as normal, watching the scene quietly and hiding their interest through their blank expressions._  
_"She said she'd make some cookies for Kyo-Chan!" Honey explained to Kyoya, who was curious about why she'd decided to start cooking. The twins sighed and said that girl must have mixed hosting with baking or something, sighing 'poor Ayane and Haruhi' at our predicament._  
_"DUMMIES! HAVE ALL OF YOUR EYES STOPPED WORKING!?" Tamaki yelled, almost alerting us of their presence. Luckily for the Host Club, Haruhi's shouts of alarm at Renge's cluelessness and my laughter hide his little episode. "In the room of sweet fragrance...Cute cookies are baked...And three classmates who are getting along very well..." Tamaki had continued in a hushed tone, busy daydreaming about the perfect scenario of us all laughing together in harmonious joy of each others company. He was clearly deluding himself since it was nothing like that inside, Haruhi's lack of control of the situation meant Renge's selective hearing and pushy attitude overwhelmed us most of the time, plus the way I voiced my opinion of Renge aloud had sparked more than a little tension between us. "Everything is well planned, this is one big project to make Haruhi realise she is a girl!" He finished, a spark of determination shining in his violet eyes._  
_"As well as sculpt Ayane into the most elegant and refined lady the Host Club has ever witnessed" Kyoya added, an evil glint reflecting off of his glasses as he uttered his evil scheme to the club. The Host Club silently thought both of their ambitions were a little far fetched, not to mention the curious question of why they both cared so much anyway..._

* * *

"Finally, we're done!" I sighed with satisfaction, having just finished wrapping three batches of cookies into a white napkin, tying it together with a neat little bow. Haruhi looked at me with a scowl on her face, saying that I didn't do a lot of the cooking anyway, I just cleaned up the mess afterward and even then she had to go over it because I did such an atrocious job. I just grinned stupidly and put my arm around her, telling her at least we did what we had come to do-Bake delicious treats for the shadow king. Renge had then pushed the door open as we heard Tamaki in the middle of talking.  
"...The gentle atmosphere that only girls can possess, that is what will aid Haruhi in realising she is a girl-AH, aren't you lady-like!" It was obvious by the way he cut himself off and changed the subject we weren't meant to hear his previous comments. "I'm so moved by your generosity Renge-"  
"You're too noisy, FAKE king." Renge greeted him, her face expressionless. " And I definitely wouldn't cook cookies for a phony prince like you." Tamaki let out a hurt 'ACK!' at her words, his face losing that shine it had before we walked in. Me and Haruhi chose to not get involved, walking straight into the centre of the Host Club room, me shouting happily as I excitedly waved at the twins, Honey, Mori and Kyoya. While Tamaki dramatically fell to the floor and crawled over to sulk in his corner of depression, Renge went straight over to her beloved Kyoya. "I'm sorry I burnt them a little bit, I did the best I could. I already know what you're going to say; 'Anything you make for me is going to taste delicious, my dear'." Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she tried to refrain from swooning at his presence, her affection for Kyoya rolling off of her like waves in the sea of her own romantic delusion. "Oh, you're always so sweet to me, Kyoya!" As she badgered on and on, the Host Club took to the task of tasting these treats of hers, the charred treats looking more like rocks than melt in your mouth chocolate chip cookies. The twins quickly threw their share of the treat in the bin the second their tongue tasted the thing, both of them loudly stating it tasted terrible. Honey and me took a bite at the same time, our fragile teeth not even making a dent in the cookie.  
"She wasn't kidding, these cookies really are burnt" He mumbled sadly, his words muffled as his mouth was still trying in vain to break the shell of this burnt mess.  
"_Wah_, I've seen bombshells easier to break than this piece of crap..." I said with disgust, hopping about as the crumbs of the cookie hit my taste buds and sent me reeling back from the strength of the horrible morsel. Mori rushed over to us, snatching the offending treat from Honey's mouth and telling him to not to eat it as it was bad for him, probably realising how poisonous it was from my reaction to tasting it. Renge's head snapped to attention at our comments, her ears twitching as she heard Mori's warning. She turned around slowly, eerily calm until a livid expression flashed on her face faster than we could blink. She charged like a bull, running towards in a frighteningly outraged war cry as her hair frizzed horribly behind her. Honey began to cry as he rushed to Mori, who immediately took him away from the scene while the twins leapt up to hide behind one of the sofas. I stood my ground, not budging as I'd been doing when she first reacted to my comments in the kitchen, Renge now choosing to ignore me and take out her anger on just the boys. I guess she learn't quick enough her outbursts don't affect me like with everybody else. I bet the maids at home run at her beck and call like a group of frightened dogs, this girl obviously not used to someone disagreeing with her or challenging what she does. I guess that's what I'm here for.

While Renge pursued Mori and Honey, I walked over to Haruhi, who was conveniently tasting her own treats as I reached her.  
"They're not bad at all..." Haruhi admitted with an impressed tone, her head nodding thoughtfully as she chewed. I greedily grabbed one for myself and crammed it into my mouth, moaning appreciatively at the wonderful burst of flavour. Haruhi had decided to bake a ginger cookie instead of a chocolate chip one, her's not as sweet as Renge's and considerably easier to bite.  
"_Mmm, they gosht a good flaaavour to thslem Haruhee, a valiant effort worthee of mi wyifee_" I mumbled happily, my words slurred as I talked with my mouth full. But me and Haruhi were much too busy appreciating her snacks to notice the twins watching us with interest, their eyes darting from Haruhi to Tamaki (Who was still moping on the floor) to me to Kyoya (Who was still writing in his notebook) and then each other, their face lighting up as an idea stuck them. A sly smile spread across their cheeks, their eyes sparkling with mischief as they wandered over to us, the same thought in their prankster minds. Without warning, Haruhi's chin was gripped by Kaoru's slender fingers, forcing her face to tilt upwards as he leaned down and broke off the end of the cookie sticking out of Haruhi's mouth with his own, whispering a seductive 'May I try?' as he did. While those two had a 'Lady and the Tramp' moment, Hikaru was dealing with me.  
"Uh Oh Ayane, you've got some crumbs on your face" Hikaru breathed in my ear, leaning down and brushing my cheek with his tongue, causing me to close my eyes and flinch ever so slightly with surprise at the sudden touch. Tamaki's head lifted up immediately as if his Haruhi senses were tingling, his eyes wide as he witnessed Kaoru's action. Even Kyoya looked up from his precious notebook at Hikaru's gesture, his tongue clicking disapprovingly against the roof of his mouth as he watched us.  
"DID YOU SEE WHAT HE JUST DID!?" He screamed at Kyoya, his finger shaking violently as he pointed it accusingly at the snickering twins. "HE TOOK A BITE OUT OF THE COOKIE WHILE IT WAS STILL IN HER MOUTH AND HE..."  
"-And suddenly the quartet of classmates are closer than they've ever been before" Kyoya muttered while Tamaki ran through his rant, his monotone voice laced with...Anger?  
"You know, if you could have just told me that I had some crumbs on my face. God, you can't just lick me like a dog every time I have food around my mouth or else I'll have to put you on a leash..." I muttered with the smallest hint of a smile on my face, trying to make my threat seem serious but my grin cracking though anyway.  
"If you wanted to try some, you could have just got some from here" Haruhi sighed, holding out the napkin filled with cookies to Kaoru. Tamaki and Kyoya didn't seem to think our comments were enough however as they reprimanded us for our lack of concern.  
"Thats not the reaction you should have, Haruhi! You should be strong and reject them, not casually brush them off to the side, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" He cried, holding Haruhi's face in his hands and forcing her to look into his eyes. Haruhi looked to the side uncomfortably, not liking the close proximity between them or the yelling in her ear. Haruhi simply mentioned to her Senpai that this was sexual harassment, completely rebuffing him before Tamaki started another rant at her about the twins doing that to her and not him.  
"A lady such as yourself shouldn't let men like those sneaky twins touch or, in this case, lick them whenever they feel like it, Ayane." Kyoya calmly stated, fixing his glasses on his nose as he glared at me with disapproval. "Acting indifferent to their actions just fuels them to further tease you and as your manager, I will not allow such lazy behaviour from my client" I rolled my eyes, laughing and stating it was no big deal, after giving him my usual excuse that I wasn't a lady and will never thrive to be one. That just sparked an argument between me and Kyoya, Haruhi and Tamaki's own argument adding to the volume of feuding mentor and students couples in the room, the twins getting involved as the mentors tried to blame them for the cause of the arguement in the first place (You know, it clearly nothing to do with the two overreacting or anything...).

"You're all not good enough..." Renge mumbled quietly, so quiet no one really took notice, her expression one of deep concentration. It seemed Honey had asked her if she wanted some warm milk and upon pinching his cheeks much too harshly for Honey to take it as adoration, Honey had ran to Mori in tears. It was what drew my attention to what the crazy girl was doing, the rest of the room quickly following my train of attention as she loudly stated-  
"EVERYONE'S CHARACTER IS REALLY BAD-_Except Kyoya-Chan_-ALL OF YOUR CHARACTERS ARE LUKEWARM!" She snapped, everyone's heads turning to look at her with a mixture of concern and confusion written across their face. "All of your characters need to have some sort of dark side, you understand? Girls are vulnerable to beautiful men with a traumatic past! If you keep carrying on like this, the girls will become tired and stop coming all together, are you_ trying_ to ruin my precious Kyoya's business?" She squeaked with irritation, pointing her finger at us with a scowl on her deceivingly innocent face, her other hand on her hip.  
"Can I get permission to slap the stupid out of her?" I mumbled half-jokingly to Kyoya, hoping he really would give me permission to do it. He didn't reply. "_Sigh_, Look Renge, it's true that woman like those 'Perfect looks but tainted soul' crap but I don't think that the Host Club's audience is looking for that sort of direction of wor-"  
"As your manager, it is my duty to change your character backgrounds. Let's start with you!" She interrupted angrily, ignoring my opinion and instead jabbing her finger into Honey's face, his expression turning into one of a petrified toddler looking the monster under his bed in the eye. It was not a nice thing to witness but everyone (Save Mori and Kyoya) had looks of terror on their face as she lectured them, her tone one of an angry boss yelling at her employees. I just looked at her with a grin, refusing to let this bitch dim my mood in the slightest, I wouldn't give her the pleasure of seeing me break. As if I'd be scared of a pampered Chihuahua barking orders at me. She told Honey that being cute on the inside as well as out makes him nothing more than a baby, so from now on, he was now the '**BABY-FACED THUG!'**,making Honey cry out in distress at the description, a confused Mori also baptised as** 'His childhood friend, THE FLUNKIE!'.** The twins were then made to be enslaved in their own world as no one can tell them apart...But they're also **'BASKETBALL PLAYERS'!?** Haruhi's was simple enough, an honor student being intensely bullied by her rich classmates, Renge making hers the most tame out of the club. It was Tamaki however that was given the most ridiculous backstory of all-**'THE LONELY PRINCE!' **It seemed Renge decided to make him the idol of the school due to his looks, but then making him a secret inferiority complex that caused him severe loneliness...While the Host Club looked on with intense confusion at the situation, I was on the floor roaring with laughter, the stupidness of Renge's new decision leaving me in a fit of giggles. Or at least, I was until she turned to me with my new role..."Ayane, you are the **LOVING SWEETHEART** from the worst part of town. Although having been surrounded by gangs, drugs and sex all your life, you turned out to be the optimistic dreamer who thrives to find her perfect prince...Which happens to be Tamaki, who has yet to understand your feelings."  
"WHUAH!? What the hell you on about?" I gasped, choking on my laughter as her words froze my amusement instantly. "I'm the _entertainer_ for this club, not a host! I don't need a change in backstory because I'm not here to flirt with the girls with my personality, I'm here to sing!" I explained with a smile, gleefully shrugging my shoulders in a 'what can you do?' gesture, happy not to be involved.  
"Oh yes, that's right, you're an 'entertainer' or whatever, aren't you?" The carefree way she said it almost made me storm over there and backhand the bitch in the face, but I held my place. "I suppose you can sing a little song or whatever you do to contribute to this club if you want, but I don't need any of that sexualised and 'mature' stuff you've sung here before. I need a song that is lighthearted, cutesy and fun! Make sure that you don't bring in those horrible guitar riffs you rock lovers like and don't you dare put those stupid drum solos you see as well, they hurt my ears... " I forced to keep the cheery smile on my face as I nodded at her requests, holding my tongue tightly for fear I would explode if I opened my mouth to say anything. Kyoya chuckled lightly, drawing my attention to him.  
"Well, I'm afraid you are incorrect in thinking you can escape this personality change, Ayane" He said, a smirk on his smug little face. I gave him a suspicious look, asking him what he was talking about, my heart thumping with fear. "This may be just what you need to become a better lady of society so as your manager, I approve this change." I clutched my shirt where my heart would be, letting out a choked sound as I sunk to my knees, tears in my eye.  
"H-H-How could you do this to me, Kyoya" I gasped dramatically, looking up at him with hooded eyes. "I thought we were better than this, but it seems our friendship doesn't matter to you if you're asking me to complete such a task...Don't make me listen to that control freak, you can end the suffering, you just need to tell her to stay the hell out of the Host Clubs affairs and that you're not interested in her...Please Kyoya, before it's too late... " Kyoya just silently fixed his glasses, an evil glint reflecting off of them as he gazed down at me. It was too late, nothing I say was going to make him any less of an asshole by this point. What an evil shadow king he was. I _'humphed'_ as I stood, pouting at him as I airily said that I'd do it, just to prove him wrong and show both him and Tamaki I can be the perfect, sweet hearted young lady. "But, if I do the perfect job I know I'm going to do, then you've got to admit you was wrong and never complain about my unlady-like actions again...And slash my debt by a quarter?" Kyoya looked quite taken aback by my offer, not sure what to think of my sudden request but he quickly turned that confusion on his face into a smirk, his genius mind ticking over as an idea formed.  
"Hmm, an interesting offer, but what will I gain if you fail your task?" He asked, his pen hovering over his notebook, poised and ready to write it down. I smiled sweetly.  
"You can give me personal, hour long etiquette lessons every week for the rest of the year...And if you think I didn't try hard enough that week, you can add 25-No, **250** more customers per lesson" I said, a determined smirk on my face as flicked my hair back confidently, not accepting defeat. He looked at me with an evil smirk, a ominous aura surrounding him as he took out his hand to shake on the deal. As I firmly grasped his hand and curtly shook twice, I felt as if I was making a deal with the devil...Maybe I was.

While I was fighting a powerfully intelligent, cold-hearted devil with my idiotic and poorly-planned scheme...Tamaki was considering his new role with a different light to the rest of us. His face lit up with understanding, his eyes wide as if he had just been struck with an epiphany and for all we knew, he could of. He stumbled round the room like a man with new legs, mumbling incoherently.  
"...The lonely prince...That's true...That title's _perfect_ for me..." I heard him mumble, his hands and head reached up towards the heavens in realisation. Haruhi sighed with irritation, muttering Renge couldn't be farther from the truth. I was muttering the exact same thing as I watched Renge talk to Kyoya about his 'role'.  
"-And Kyoya, you're perfect just the way you are so I want you to stay as kind and affectionate as always." She exclaimed cheerfully, smiling sweetly at him. Kyoya returned the compliment with a charming smile, thanking her and saying he's honored with a hand on his heart. It was sickening the way Kyoya turned on the charm for her, hiding his evil tendencies through an innocent smile. I saw twins to grab either side of Kyoya as they dragged him away from Renge and into a corner.  
"Come on, Kyoya-Senpai-" Hikaru whined,  
"-You gotta do something!" Kauru added in desperation, frustration on their identical faces. I nodded vigorously at what they said, pouting deeply as I asked him to at least tell her to _stop acting like she's in charge and get her to shut the hell up!_ Kyoya coughed, asking why he should since the king seemed into the idea, pointing to the idiot as proof.  
"Doesn't...This pose...work for a...Lonely prince..." He gasped dramatically, changing the poses he was doing against the wall with every pause. His face was clouded with despair, his shoulders slumped and his fringe hung over his face in an attempt to be aloof. It seemed to impress Renge.  
"Oh you're pretty good at that Tamaki!" She exclaimed proudly, her hands clasped together with excitement. "But you know what would work even better? If you did that while standing in the rain..." Me, Haruhi and the twins looked on with exasperation, shaking our heads in anguish as our hopes of getting out of this were dashed straight out the window. If prince of the idiots likes the idea then there's even less hope we're getting out of this than if we asked Kyoya. God, all they need to do is just tell the crazy chick to stay away from the Host Club's business and stop trying to seduce a man who is clearly using you for his own gain-**Profit and status**. Is that so hard!?  
"Let's just see how this turns out, I mean, it might be interesting. It always is..." Kyoya said, a smirk on his face as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin at the idea. While the club looked at him with a sense of fear, thinking his scheming face looked quite scary, I just sighed, thinking that I guess this own thing might be interesting. If everything goes as planned, I may get a quarter of my debt to vanish by the end of this, finding that a good thing to look forward to at the end of this. I just hope this girl doesn't shake things up too much around here or else I may jump into something far worse than I bargained for...

* * *

Nervous anticipation filled the court as it mingled with the tense excitement in the room. A basketball was repeatedly thudded against the gym floor as each team struggled to obtain the precious item, game time running dangerously low. Deep panting, heavy footing and last effort grunts in search of energy were drowned out by the cheering crowds, all consisting of screaming girls. An auburn haired boy who currently possessed the ball leapt into the air, the crowd's cheers intensifying as the stage lights highlighted his determined face that glistened with sweat. He expertly flicked his wrists and the ball swerved, slowly circling the hoop until it finally fell through, the tense breath the room held escaping as screams of joy replaced the stifling anticipation that filled the room just brief moments ago. The girls eyes all widened in shock as they watched the score change in favour of the boy's team, arms waving in support as the boy grinned arrogantly at the crowd, fist raised in triumph at what he just achieved.  
"_KYAAA!_, Hitachiin-Sama is Ouran's star player!"  
"But the one that just made the shot, is it Kaoru or Hikaru?"  
"Who cares? They're both so wonderful!" As the girls chatted amongst themselves, the star from Ouran, indicated by the white and blue sports outfit (Ouran written above his team number, 16), sat down to get himself a drink. As he sipped his energy drink, a girl, probably a fan from the Ouran team, nervously walked up to him.  
"Errm, Here Kaoru, a towel for you" She piped up, holding out a fluffy white towel for him. The boy sighed.  
"I'm Hikaru" He stated, looking at the girl with disdain.  
"ACK!, I...I'm so sorry..." She squeaked hurriedly, not wishing to offend the star player. He muttered it was fine since he was used to it, a somber look to his features. A cry of pain was suddenly heard, startling Hikaru and causing him jump up at the sound, a wild gaze of fear in his eye as the soft murmur of 'Kaoru' escaped his lips.  
"Get the stretcher!" A gruff voice announced, probably the coach. "Bring him to the nurses immediately!" As worried whispers circulated around the room of girls, a large crowd of the players from both teams surrounded the fallen boy, who was still clutching his knee as he laid sprawled out on the floor in agony. Hikaru pushed through the crowd with frightful urgency, his identical brother the only thing on his mind as he thrived to barge past the barrier of bodies. Once Hikaru made it to the centre of the crowd, his brother had already been laid down onto a stretcher and was getting ready to be transported. Hikaru rushed over to kneel by his side, saying Kaoru's name again and again, rising in volume every time.  
"You've got to get back in the game, Hikaru, we need you-"  
"SHUT UP!" Hikaru exploded, slapping the assistant coach's hand away from his shoulder, not liking his lack of concern for his brother as proven by his words.  
"Ah...Hikaru..." Kaoru croaked out, forcing himself to push his upper body up into a sort of half sit up. "Listen to me, please don't worry, theres nothing you can do, you can't share my pain." He reached his hand out, cupping Hikaru's cheek with it as he gazed weakly into his brother's eyes. "You're not the one who got hurt, now go..."  
"I can't!" Hikaru gasped in a hushed tone, gripping Kaoru's outstretched hand with his own two as tears escaped his eyes. "It hurts, it's hurts Kaoru!"

**"You're pain is my pain, it doesn't matter to me if no one else understands...As long as we have each other we can go on living"** A mysterious girls voice spoke, the brilliant gym dissolving as the scene changed to something much drearier than the vivid basketball court. The bleachers changed into dropping trees, the rows of fans now clusters of jade leaves sitting amongst the tawny branches as concrete now replaced the polished floor of the indoor court. Stage lights that illuminated the room was nowhere to be seen as the rain beat down heavily onto the ground with a fierce roar. Amidst the rain pour stood the most beautiful student you had ever seen, his pure golden hair clinging to his head pathetically. Unprotected from the unrelenting drops crashing down on him, his face was turned to the floor as he brooded with a wistful expression. Eventually, raising his sorrowful gaze, he addressed the incident including the twins with a few simple words.  
"I'm sorry...But I'm envious, the way you two support each other like that..." He murmured quietly, a melancholy smile greeting the pair as the twins turned to look at him, Hikaru and Kaoru now on the wet concrete floor with no nurses or stretcher in sight.  
"But Suo-Senpai..." Hikaru said in disbelief, shaking his head.  
"How can you be jealous of us, you're the school idol and-" Kaoru was interrupted by Suo as he bitterly repeated the work 'Idol'.  
"Yeah, right...I hate that people worship me for something as superficial as my appearance. I think it would be much better for me to be alone..." He said sadly, running his hand through his hair as he did.

**"One lonely heart meets another, they pass each other, wounding one another, What are the hearts of these young men made of?" **The girl spoke up again, the focus moving away from the main scene to the trees behind them, unnoticed by the boys. Peeking out from a large oak tree was a girl, with curly red hair and sapphire eyes, her noticeably exotic looks hidden well by the sagging wet leaves shading her from view. She watched breathlessly at the sight in front of her, her eyes solely transfixed onto the stunning blonde as he looked to the heavens with a intense gaze, his grief stricken face causing the girls own one to twist with pity, her eyes pricking with tears.  
"Why Tamaki, why can't you understand how you're distance affects the loneliness of others?" She whispered, the hands she placed against the tree trunk to balance herself clenching into fists as she leant her head onto the same trunk. "I've been there for you all this time and yet, you turn your eyes away from the one person who understands you, appreciates you, sees you for the broken beauty within opposed your breathtaking looks on the outside." She turned so her back was now leaning against the trunk, taking out a faded picture from her blazer pocket. It showed her wearing a pink summer dress and smiling nervously at the camera with a yellow daisy in hand as Tamaki was gazing at the floor, his expression one of a lost soul as he stood detached from the girl. The girl gazed at the picture with bittersweet reminiscence before crumpling it up, throwing it on the floor as tears flooded her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. "Why Tamaki, why can't you see that there is someone worth giving up your solitude for, that there is someone who likes you for more than your good looks, that there is someone who...Loves you..." The girl hugged herself as she sank onto the leaf littered soil, her body shivering as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks and onto her shirt. "If only I had been born into a rich family, would you notice me more then? Is it because of the run-down ghetto where I reside that you fail to share my feeling for you?...Oh Tamaki, if only things had been different, if I had been richer and you less beautiful, would our relationship finally take flight?" She sniffed, stifling her cries as she turned once again to the tree, her fingers brushing over the deep inscription that had been carved into the bark, 'T+A forever'. "Perhaps, like the phoenix, our relationship will burn beautifully, our love soaring into the skies of affection...Unless, it is fated for our sparks to dim down, and we eventually smother the passion until nothing but ruined ash remained..."

**"Ah, the complex entanglement of love strangles the most innocent of girls, chaining her to one who has yet to understand the allure of such amorous sentiment..." **As the girl's voice rose up a third time, we were taken away from the edge of the thicket to further into the tangled growth. This was a place far from anyone's gaze and blocked any sort of safety from the school, the trees hiding many secrets within its timber walls. Fallen twigs snapped as pounding feet raced over them to cover ground, the owner of such feet panting deeply as he forced his tired limbs forward, faster. His rapid gasps shocked him into taking a rest, his energy burnt out despite his will to carry on. He stumbled and, on instinct, reached his hand out to support himself on the nearest tree, one hand clutching his aching side as his burning limbs ached with fiery purpose and turned to jelly. Upon realising he had no chance of going any further, he turned so he could lean heavily against the ancient trunk, the bark scratching his back uncomfortably. Then suddenly, against his will, he slowly sunk down to sit on the muddy ground, his legs finally giving out and unwilling to budge.  
"You can't run away forever" A callous voice spoke through the trees, alerting the tired boy with a jolt of fear. "I'm going to show you what happens to anyone that crosses me" The body of the blonde haired boy who spoke slowly stepped through the leaves, every painfully slow step sending more fear through the frightened boy, his wide eyes a gateway to the inner turmoil the terrified boy felt inside. The approaching boy stalked over to him like a predator to prey, although shorter than most he held the vicious bite of a Doberman guard dog, his malicious actions always ending in some form of brutal violence.  
"Don't do it Mitsukuni, you should have realised by now that whenever you hurt others, you're really just hurting yourself." A deep voice rumbled out, coming from the large boy beside him. He was a giant and easily as tall as some of the trees, a hand in his pocket as he turned his piercing gaze towards the small boy, forcing his wise words to break through the brute's thick skull.  
"I didn't ask for your advice, you want me to put you over my knee again?" He sharply replied, silencing the giant instantly. This giant, despite his obvious advantage, was just another one of his goonies for the bully, his opinion on the boy's actions falling on deafened ears.  
**"Will it be the light of salvation that ultimately awaits these boys? Or will it be something else?"  
**"You know it really pisses me off when people don't know their place." The short one sneered, a sadistic grin on his delicate face. "..." Then suddenly, the mask of stone cold hatred melted, replaced by a teary faced child. He began to cry, rushing over to the sitting boy and hugging him tightly. "WAH! I'M SO SORRY HARU-CHAN, I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!"

* * *

**"CUT!...CUT, CUT, CUT, CUT!"**Renge screamed, snarling fiercely at Honey, who had just ruined an otherwise perfect scene. "What's wrong with you? You gotta stick to the original script!" She yelled, waving her arms around angrily. While Honey began to cry, Renge turned to point her rolled up script at one of the cameramen and screeched at him to stop filming immediately.  
"Yes boss." He replied, giving her a thumbs up as he pressed a few buttons on the professional camera, the HD recording device industrial sized and attached to a moving stand. There was a handful of other cameras positioned around the area, all handled by professional cameramen. Some of the hired staff were even standing on newly build ramps so they could work the giant spotlights from above, adding better light for the camera. Renge had even brought in a crane for someone to hold a hose from a substantial height to create the effect of rain, the weather today clear skies and sunny spells. Renge argued the rain was a necessity as it makes the scene more 'tragic,' but it seemed like an unneeded expense to me, Renge probably on a power trip.

As Renge started shouting at every worker in sight, The Host Club was given a break. Kyoya, who was not needed for the film, was simply writing in his notebook, me playing candy crush while sitting on a camping chair just in front of him. The twins were also lounging in camping chairs beside me, Hikaru and Kaoru sitting with blue jackets over their basketball uniform and their legs crossed in opposite directions to each other.  
"How does she go from changing our characters to shooting a short movie about it?" Hikaru asked in disbelief, the plans for today throwing the entire Host Club off even though the customers excitement increased immensely at the sudden change of pace. All of them had been used as background actors for certain scenes of the movie, such as the cheering crowd at the basketball game.  
"And why is there an entire film crew here to film it?" Haruhi added as she walked passed, a dampened towel around her neck as she finished drying her hair. Kyoya explained that Renge had apparently flew them in from Hollywood, the bright orange jackets and caps the men wore used to indicate them. The front of the hat and back of the jacket also had the name of the movie written over it, Renge deciding to call it 'Uki Doki (Live action)'. But of course, these people weren't just nobodies picked up from the streets of Hollywood, the director, Kyoya explained, was the same one from the million dollar box office vampire hit, 'Millennial snow'. I silently looked at the old man with a deep sense of respect, the thought of such a directer coming here to film this shitty film left me slightly awestruck.  
"How much did that spoilt brat pay to let a guy like that in here?" I scoffed, mentally cursing the wealth of these rich people. Haruhi looked like she was doing the same, a disgraced expression on her face as she watched Renge laughing with the talented man. "Oh well, I least we know the films going to look good, even if Renge's script could have used a little more...Work" I added, reading over the shoulder of Hikaru, the script laid out open in his lap.  
"And another thing, how come this stupid script portrays Kaoru as the Seme?" Hikaru said with annoyance, shaking his head as Kaoru agreed. I laughed.  
"I know how you feel, even though I told her countless times that I'm the dominant one in the bedroom, one of my old girlfriends convinced me to swap roles just for once and be the Uke. Let me tell you, it was _not_ a fun night..." I said, the twins nodding their head in sympathy at my pain.  
"What does that mean?" Asked suspiciously, gazing at us three with a cynical look. Me and the twins shook our head and shrugged our shoulders, simultaneously saying that if she doesn't know, it doesn't matter. Haruhi just tilted her head innocently, mouthing out the words 'Uke' and 'Seme' in confusion.

Later on, when the baking sun was directly overhead and the midday heat wave had arrived, I was assigned by Renge to finally sing and record my theme song for the track. The evil Medusa warned me beforehand that if she didn't like the song, I would be taken out of the movie and the song would never be uttered in the music industry again, causing me to force myself to not say anything for fear she would stay true to her word. Renge had brought professional recording equipment for me to sing the song, a real Hollywood music agent there to help guide me through the recording. I must admit, no matter how much I think all of this was over the top, this whole experience brought me one step closer to my music career, Kyoya and me having been sure to formally introduce myself and interact with every important business man/woman that was present, including the man in front of me. He has made countless idols rise to stardom faster than any other company in Japan had, so his opinion of me was vital for my future career in this business, the man having a hand dipped in every aspect of an idol's successful career. I was determined to impress him so I knew that Renge could not make a scene about how she hates it in front of him, or else all the work me and Kyoya had spent all morning doing would have been for nothing. After all, no matter how charming the girls personality, no company will be willing to agree to a contract if they think the singer won't sell. As I placed the headphones over my ears, the producer flicking a switch on the soundboard and making the neon 'Recording' sing light up, I took and deep breath and prayed that I sing it right. Choking my nerves down with a smile more confident than how I actually felt, I looked to Host Club for support. They were sitting on giant bean bags that had been placed in the room with the producer, watching me with anticipation. Honey was happily cheering as he bounced anxiously on the floor, holding up Usa-Chan and making the pink bunny look as if it was waving at me with support, Mori gazing at me with that placid look on his face, a hint of a smile on his lips. The twins looked more concerned with lounging on the bean bags than me, Hikaru and Kaoru looking lazily at me from the corner of my eyes. Haruhi unfortunately had to leave for some last minute rerecording of some scenes she was featured in, the room absent of my number one supporter. But besides Haruhi, I was mostly concerned about Kyoya, hoping my manager would give me some last minute support. He wasn't even looking at me, more focused on his notebook as usual. I internally rolled my eyes, thinking it was typical of Kyoya to be more concerned with writing in his diary than what his client was doing. Yet the familiar smirk on his face while he scribbled in his notebook, his dark hair falling over his cool eyes as glasses slipped down his nose helped wash me over with a sense of calm, the familiarity of it putting me into a state of levelheadedness. I smiled, feeling as composed as Kyoya as the pop song spread from my headphones and into my ears, my mouth parting as the indicator of the chorus came closer and closer...

**Kiss, kiss, fall in love! **  
**(Hey! Hey! Hey!) **

**I see you come, I watch you go; you never seem to leave me, though. **  
**So is this love or hate? We'll see...You're makin' me crazy! **  
**Inside my dreams, you're all I see. Well, all I see is you and me. **  
**Lady, maybe, or host? I find I really don't mind!**

**If I had to choose a rose, in this garden of romance, **  
**Maybe we could take this chance...maybe you're my love! **

**And I would like to find, a hand like yours to take mine **  
**And with one kiss, we could stop time and I'd fall in love with you. **  
**Tomorrow's far away; let's place our hope in today. **  
**Just you and me, in a beautiful spring~...and we'll always fall in love, again. **

**(Hey! Hey!) **  
**Maybe you're my love!**

**I want to see that side of you,**  
**and give you a cherry blossom kiss!**  
**If your heart throbs, then it will be a glorious love~**  
**The present is much more important than the future.**  
**This lovely spring is a blooming maiden's beauty!**

**Then theres you, whom I don't really know,**  
**I want to know more about you!  
Even though it can be scary sometimes...**

**In denim, in frills, in casual clothes, in chinese attire;**  
**I'll change every time we meet, so be prepared!**  
**Little by little the door to love opens.**  
**True love is packed with thrills!**

**On the days we're busy and pass each other,**  
**a cherry blossom kiss would be too painful. It's a glorious love~**  
**Let's accept each other's weaknesses.**  
**The love we have is invincible.**  
**We bloom and the two of us are the leading roles.**  
**I won't lose to the magnificent sky.**  
**Let's make memories now**

**It's true love~**

**I want to see that side of you,**  
**and give you a cherry blossom kiss!**  
**If your heart throbs, its a glorious love~**  
**The present is much more important than the future.**  
**This lovely spring is a blooming maiden's beauty!**  
**It's a blooming maiden's in love!**

**KISS, KISS, FALL IN LOVE!**  
**MAYBE YOU'RE MY LOVE!**

I finished the song with a flourish, glad I was able to focus on my singing more than the performance side as I'd decided to sing this song a couple octaves higher than usual. I made sure my mature voice sounded younger, 'cutesy' and fun rather than seductive and soulful. By the astonished looks I got from the Host Club at my change of tone, I knew my voice and energy must have been completely different to them. It was Renge who's opinion I cared the most about though, me quickly taking off the headphones and dashing into the room with everyone to see what she thought. The moment I entered the room however, I was forced backwards as Renge slammed into me, pulling me into a bone-cracking hug until my feet lifted off of the ground and simply dangled in the air.  
"So...I guess you like it?" I said with a chuckle, pushing against the steel grip she had on me and finally getting her to bring my feet safely back onto the ground.  
"Like it? I LOVED it! I never knew you could sound so cute, that song was absolutely adorable!" She squealed with excitement, starting to badger on about how I must have based the lyrics on her and Kyoya's budding relationship. I refrained from scoffing and rolling my eyes at her words, focusing more on the fact she liked my song rather than her delusional theory about her and Kyoya's 'Love'.  
"Are you sure its good enough? I didn't realise when writing the lyrics you were going to make the movie so depressing and pain filled..." I said, suddenly conscience of how cheery my song was compared to the dark undertones of the movie. Renge shook her head, saying the contrast will help bring out the club's new personalities even more, the theme song catchy enough to hook the customers in. I grinned proudly, glad I was able to pull of a 'lovey-dovey' and 'cutesy' song. While Renge went over to discuss my song with the producer, I turned to see the Host Club staring at me with dazed fascination, probably from how girly I must have seemed. I shot them my typical cheeky grin as I flopped onto a bean bag in between the twins, resting my arms behind my head.  
"What? Didn't ya like it?" I giggled, triggering the boy's reaction to my song, their praises surrounding me instantly.  
"Aya-Chan, that was so CUTE!" Honey gasped, running over with Usa-Chan to give me a huge hug.  
"Aww, we never knew you had such a sweet voice, Ayane." The twins cooed, clapping their hands together and gazing at me with adoration. I was elated at such comments until they added, "Why can't you act as sweet as you sound?", making me stick my tongue out at them teasingly and turn to Kyoya, who was still calmly writing in his notebook. I poked his cheek, tilting my head so I could obscure his view of the notebook with my hair, a stupid grin on my face.  
"So, great manager of mine, has my sweet-hearted singing captivated your cruel heart?" I asked mockingly, fluttering my eyelashes as I placed my hands delicately underneath my chin. He chuckled, pushing his glasses back to the bridge of his nose.  
"Ah, my dear Ayane, I would just love to flatter you with praises about how much your adoring performance enthralled me..." He began, his voice one of the smooth charm he puts on for the customers in the club, throwing back my own mocking tone in my face. "...But I'm afraid I have to discuss the prospect of extra promotional gain from their company, the manager quite taken by the three songs you've now performed for the club" My eyes lit up with excitement at his words, me smirking arrogantly as he explained what that entailed for my career. "He says he will definitely talk of you and your songs at the upcoming radio chat he is starring in, as well as the companies television appearance in the segment for 'Upcoming stars in the making'. I already have the perfect head shots from today as well as song slices and video clips from your previous performances to sent to the tv editors at the show." I gave him a huge thumbs up at the news, throwing him a cheeky grin and a word of thanks before the producer walked over to and announced it was time for the club to take a break, Renge currently having a meltdown in front of the famous film directer. Turns out he's more stubborn about his movie directions than Renge can handle.

While the Host Club all went their own separate ways to indulge in their free time, I went round to the back of the school to find Haruhi, eager to repeat the good news Kyoya had just told me. I waved to ever supporting Host Club before I went, Honey and Mori wandering off in search of snacks with Honey catching a lift on Mori's shoulders. I then got an uninterested grunt off of the twins, who had ran off to play a video game on their portable console in peace, now bored of my actions. Sometimes I felt they had the attention span of a 2 year old, those twins more finicky by the day. Kyoya had also wandered off to find a place of solace with his trusty notebook in hand, the boy only giving me one last fleeting smirk before disappearing around the corner. I didn't even know where to begin to describe how Kyoya acted around me, my mind unable to fathom his complex and ever calculating actions. But as I spotted Haruhi standing under the shade of a gazebo, I cast the thought away from my mind, my worries over the shadow king forgotten. As Haruhi finally saw me running towards her cheerily, her arms waving in greeting, I realised she had been talking to an excited looking Tamaki, currently borrowing her towel to dry off his blonde locks. Once I'd finally reached them, I noticed Tamaki fidgeting with his hands nervously, presumably by Haruhi's words, a light blush hidden from the clueless girl because of the towel dangling around his face.  
"Haruhi! Hey, there you are, I was wondering where you went" I said, walking to her side. I looked at the king with a mischievous look on my face. "Sup Tamaki, are you OK? It must be the heat or something because you're entire face is going red, perhaps you're even overheating!?" I gasped dramatically, causing further embarrassment for the boy as he began to make a fuss about Haruhi checking to see if he was really overheating or not.  
"Come on Senpai, I need to see if you're OK and-" Haruhi started, attempting to lift the towel from his face for a better look, her face very close to his.  
"N-N-No Haruhi!...I-I-Im fine, leave me alone-"  
"But Senpai-"  
"I said I'm fine!" While the two began to argue, I began to laugh loudly at the bickering friends, thinking they acted so much like an old married couple at times. But just as the scene was getting good, Renge's whining voice cut through the pleasantries.  
"Ayane, Haruhi? Can you come over here to help me for a little bit~" Renge sang, her voice floating from around the corner of the main school building. Haruhi and me shouted we were coming, leaving the blushing idiot to writhe in embarrassment alone. When he turned the corner however, we were met with a surprising view.

While a smiling Renge was commonplace for our sights, the two terrifying brutes behind her were _not_ what we were expecting. They were the perfect image of a thug, their broad shoulders and slouching posture showcasing their wrinkled and messily worn uniform. Their stern facial features and piercing glares also left you feeling uncomfortable, the boy's surrounded with a sense of aggression.  
"These two gentlemen have just agreed to make a special appearance in our film" She explained, pointing to them while the dumbfounded boy's gave her a puzzled look. I guess they weren't informed beforehand what their purpose was to following the crazy girl. "After All, we're gonna need some tough guys for the big climax" The boys looked taken aback by description of them, shocked by her choice of words. "That's when all of the club members come together to fight against the _real_ villains in their school. According to the script, these two are from a wealthy family that got all of their wealth from the japanese mafia! Don't you think that that's a great casting choice?" The boy's began to get upset, stating that whatever their father does has nothing to do with them, frustrated tears gathering in their eyes. The boy's now, on closer inspection, didn't seem to _act_ as fierce as they look _looked_. In fact, you could say they were certified softies by the way they looked so hurt at Renge's words, a girl they didn't even know. Haruhi quickly tried to calm the situation, not wanting any of this drama, especially drama caused by that ditsy girl.  
"Maybe it's convenient for you...But if you only see people 2 dimensionally, don't you think theres so much that you miss? Haruhi said, wise words from an intelligent soul...But Renge wasn't listening.  
"I don't quite understand what you're talking about...So anyway, please come and stand over here ready for your queue" She said, getting a steel grip around one of the boy's arms and pulling him over. By the boy's complaints, he didn't appreciated being dragged around by some bossy girl he only met 10 minutes ago. I knew I needed to stop this, quick.  
" "Wait a minute, Renge-" I began, moving to stand in between the boy and Renge but I was too late. The boy snapped.  
"Hey, you think you can push me around? You don't even now me!" He yelled angrily and in a fit of rage, pushed a screaming Renge into a pile of recording equipment that was propped against the wall. I narrowed my eyes, not appreciating unnecessary violence from a brute, seeing more than enough of it in my neighborhood.  
"Watch out!" Haruhi shouted in warning, running in front of the equipment and taking the damage for Renge, whose body was tense as if still waiting for the impact to come. Arms still raised as if to protect her face, Renge realised what Haruhi had done as she opened her squinting eyes, her mouth open in awe at Haruhi's act of kindness. I snarled angrily at the boy's, not appreciating what they had done to my friend _or_ Renge.  
"YO, you brutes think it's funny to use your strength against those weaker than you? Especially a lady!? I DON'T THINK SO!" I said, picking up a fallen piece of wood and raising it threateningly above my head, standing between them and the injured girls. The boy stepped back in surprise, not sure what to make of my threat. But as shouts began to rise on the other side of the wall, footsteps coming closer, the boy's panicked. The boy's glanced at us in alarm before sprinting away from the scene of the crime, the second one (Who had done nothing to offend at this point) grabbed the end of the wooden plank behind me and slammed it into my back on the way past, causing me to stumble and fall onto the ground. I scraped my exposed arms and knees on the concrete floor as I'd had nothing to support my fall, my palms busy getting scratched against the piece of wood I still clung to. I turned my head, more worried about Haruhi's safety than my own at the moment, the sound of more falling recording equipment filling my ears as I watched Haruhi let go of Renge and slide to the floor, presumably in pain. Renge began freaking out, glancing between Haruhi and me with fear in her eyes, not sure what to do to help either of us. I stumbled pathetically as I tried to get to Haruhi, me cradling my scratched palms in pain while I withdrew my throbbing knees closer to hug my body.  
"Haruhi's right, you idiot. You shouldn't treat people like they're your rag dolls to do as you wish with, especially over something as offensive as stereotyping them as bad guys because of their families." I mumbled, Renge's bewildered expression showing me she still didn't understand, making me regret even helping the clueless control freak. As Renge started to tremble, the fear of not knowing how to help us getting to her, Kyoya and Tamaki appeared.

"Haruhi are you alrig-" Tamaki stopped in his tracks, seeing Haruhi raise her face to reveal tears in her eyes, a few stray ones rolling down her cheek. Kyoya paused his actions as well, his fountain pen dropping to the floor and rolling away as he noticed my own tear stained complexion, the emotion drained from his face as it slipped into a stone cold mask of suppressed anger. He and Tamaki turned to the fleeing boy's, who had been blocked by a wall of the other members of the Host Club, and began the assault on the frightened boys. Tamaki aggressively clutched the boy's (who hurt Haruhi) shirt in a fit of rage, slamming him into the wall and staring him down with a fierce look in his eye, his hand now gripping the boys long hair harshly so he would be forced to lift his gaze upwards, Tamaki's fingernails digging into the roots. Kyoya took a different approach to the boy who hurt me, his face eerily placid as he calmly but firmly gripped the boy's shoulder and forced him to turn around and face him, his blank gaze piercing the boy's fearful one intensely.  
"So which one of you jerks started this?" Tamaki said, all humour in his voice gone, his tone strangely dead.  
"Would you boy's like to be expelled, together?" The ruthless edge to Kyoya's voice laced his already merciless threat with an even darker tone. I was truly afraid then what Kyoya and Tamaki were about to do to their victims, never seen them so worked up, even if the two boys were showing their anger and in different ways. Tamaki couldn't seem to control his emotions as he roughly ragged the boy around, while Kyoya's actions were more calculating and intimidating in a simpler sense, his emotions strong but hidden from view. The boy under Tamaki's control started to sutter, saying that it was that girl who started it and not them, indicating Renge was at fault. The second boy added that the girl was giving them a hard time, his eyes closed as Kyoya's cold hearted gaze was finally to much for him. Me and Haruhi couldn't take it any more.  
"He's telling the truth, Senpai" Haruhi told them, standing up as she rubbed the tears out of her eye.  
"Yeah, it wasn't their fault, they were..._provoked_." I added, standing up myself and brushing dirt from my trousers. Tamaki and Kyoya looked at us in surprise, dropping the boy's in their clutches and gliding over to us, quite dazed by how easily we recovered. While the twins began to shout for teachers to come, their excuse that scary class D people were here, the startled boy's ran away as fast as their legs could drag them, the Host Club begrudgingly letting them go past. I didn't expect to see those poor boys again anytime soon, this whole incident probably putting them of talking to class A students for a _looong_ time. I continued to rub my sore hands, Kyoya slowly reaching his own hands round to caress mine, calling out my name softly, _Ayane_.  
"It...Hurts" I cried softly, a few more tears falling down my face. Kyoya looked at me with wavering eyes, his feelings strangely naked to me as I saw worry swirl within his hazel-grey eyes. "I...got like a giant splinter in my palm" Kyoya froze at my words, his mouth dropping open as my actions became clear to him.  
"Splin...?" He mumbled, his voice cracking as he stared at me with disbelief, that look soon turning into one of exasperation as I sighed and cheerfully explained I got a splinter from the plank of wood I held and it had really dug into my skin. That vulnerable look he had held was lost to me as he put on a weary smile. "Of course, how typical of you to overreact from such a minor thing...At least this whole day proves one thing...You can definitely be the endearing little damsel in distress when you want to be, your feminine side _is_ quite strong." I just laughed, nodding my head and saying he was right, happy to see him acting like his usual self. It was quite daunting to see Kyoya as uncomposed as he was a few moments ago, my mind unsure how to feel about seeing him as he was. We turned to Haruhi and Tamaki, who appeared to have had the same misunderstanding as we did, Tamaki startled to find Haruhi's eyes were only watering because her contact had moved and it was irritating her eyes. Me and Kyoya watched our best friends with amusement, Tamaki exclaiming that Haruhi was now a full fledged host as she can now cry without eyedrops, Haruhi smiling fondly at his comment. Soon enough we were all laughing, all four of us sharing a moment of blissful friendship until-  
"You...You...Please tell me you got all of that on tape!?" Renge cried out, turning to point at the camera man behind her. He gave a thumbs up and confirmed it, leading me to question how someone had known to follow us with a camera for this unscripted scene, finding it quite creepy to say the least. "Besides the contacts and splinter part, that was an ideal final scene!" She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling from being so moved by our interactions, her fist raised righteously by her side. "All we need now is a moving narration from my sweet Kyoya and-" **_SMASH. _**Renge watched in horror as Kyoya casually picked up a nearby rock from the ground and smashed the camera lens, the glass easily caving at his shocking act of destruction. Kyoya calmly stood as if he had done nothing wrong, a hand casually in his trouser pocket.  
"Why would you...Is something wrong?" Renge asked quietly, looking at him with the expression of a kicked puppy.  
"I'm terribly sorry but I cannot allow any record of a club member engaging in any kind of violence" He explained, not a hint of remorse in his voice. "I think you've caused enough trouble around her, Renge, please stop being such a pest" I looked at him dumbstruck, shocked by how, after all this time, Kyoya chose **_now_** of all timesto finally tell the annoying girl how bothersome her selfish actions were, even going as far as to do it in front of the entire Host Club and her hired staff. I was slightly impressed, Kyoya really did know when to pick the perfect diva outburst, didn't he?  
"A pest...?" She gasped, tears streaming down her face. "But you're supposed to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry, you're supposed to be kind and affectionate, Kyoya!" She began to yell louder, more heated tears going down her face as she continued to have her tantrum, her whole body shaking from the shock of Kyoya uttering those words. "Why are you acting so differently now? TELL ME WHY!?" She cried, hunching over as she sobbed pathetically, Renge still not understanding what everyone else did.  
"...Because that's not the real Kyoya" Tamaki piped up, a sad, pitying smile on his face at her description of him, Tamaki knowing just as the rest of us did that Kyoya would never be the man she dreamed of.  
"When are you finally going to drum it into your thick skull, Renge? Kyoya was never that good hearted softie you thought you saw, and he never will be" I said gently, shrugging helplessly at what could be nothing but the truth. Watching her briefly straighten her back as realisation slapped her in the face, the poor girl began to fall to her knees and cry harder at losing the true love she never had in the first place. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Regardless of how ridiculous it seemed to be worked up over a breakup from a relationship that never existed, the overwhelming feelings of heartache was devastatingly evident on her delicate face, her eyes red and puffy from tears.  
"Does it really matter?" Haruhi piped up, crouching down to Renge's level and causing Renge to pause her session of self pity, the sniffing girl staring at her silently. "Who cares if Kyoya is a little different than you expected him to be? Take a good look at he person inside and get to know them little by little. It's a lot more fun that way!" As Haruhi smiled innocently at Renge, I walked over and stood behind Haruhi, a grin on my face as I leaned on Haruhi's head.  
"Yeah, Haruhi's got a point! Not everyone's perfect, so even though Kyoya is a little more mean, manipulative, grouchy, boring and the biggest egoist sometimes...He's still a pretty cool guy to be around once you get past it all, Honest!" I laughed, briefly turning to look at my manager fondly, a stupid grin on my face. Kyoya just smirked his usual smirk, his impassive attitude not revealing a thing. While me and Haruhi looked to Renge again, hopeful to cheer her up from her shock of not denying the truth any longer, the broken girl gazed at the floor with a thoughtful look about her...

* * *

**_SEVERAL DAYS LATER..._**

"I bought the video of that film you made!"  
"I bought it too-"  
"And so did I!" The entire Host Club blinked in confusion, not sure how the ladies could have watched the video that was destroyed. Was it somehow leaked? But the customers said they'd bought it so someone must have sold it to them, not to mention that by the amount of noise in the room, it means that almost all the customers must have bought it. That would ever happen if the film footage was just a poor quality leak...  
"That scene in the rain was just phenomenal...Ayane's new song, Cherry blossom kiss, was stunning! And her acting...She acted like a _beautiful_ trampled petal, fallen from the flower of love..."  
"I love the lonely prince~"  
"And the relationship between Hikaru and Kaoru was so sweet!"  
"I wanna see Honey act like a thug again...And don't you think Mori was a bit of a masochist is the film?"  
"I couldn't get enough of Haruhi's frightened expressions!" As the girls wittered on and on, the club glanced at each with a perplexed gaze, flustered by the girls outburst.  
"Kyoya..." Me and Tamaki said, our tone cautious, not sure of the answer we were going to get but definite the shadow king had something to do with it. Kyoya smirked devilishly.  
"I may have broke the camera lens, but the footage that we'd already shot wasn't damaged." He said, pausing from writing in his notebook and instead now tapping the pen against the page triumphantly. "Sales have been pretty good so far. That Hollywood crew did an excellent job but that's, of course, to be expected from such staff" The twins gave him an exasperated look, asking if this was what he meant by 'interesting', referencing what Kyoya said prior to Renge making those cookies for us. "It's best to have as much money as we can in the school's budget." he said, shrugging off the flabbergasted looks of the Host Club. All except me, of course, who looked at him with a mischievous smirk on my face.  
"Oh, I see. I knew there was a reason you were taking so long and acting all charming before you told that annoying mouse to stuff it..." I said suspiciously, a smirk on my face as I placed my hands on the notebook he held and gently pushed it down, slowly moving my face closer to his. "So Kyoya, would you say that you flirted with this girl, who was a fan of the Host Club, to get her to professionally make merchandise for the club for the cost of nothing?" I said sweetly, watching Kyoya's smirk melt into a frown at my words, him shaking me off of his notebook with an irritated huff. He replied he 'supposed he did, why?'. I giggled mischievously. "So you _did_ use my idea, didn't you? That was the exact same plan I said to use when we were talking about photographs!" I smirked, pointing a finger in his face with a triumphant 'Ah Ha!'. "Wow, It's so nice to be so _evil,_ helping you with your diabolical schemes to gain more money from the stupid consumers. I feel so...**_Dirty_**" I uttered the words with feigned arousal, practically moaning out the last word. Seeing the blush that Kyoya tried to hide on his face, I laughed quietly, causing Kyoya's face to redden more from anger. He's not as easy to tease as the other drama queens in the club, but when I do get him, his reaction was always priceless. While Kyoya scowled deeply at me, about to open his mouth to scold me, a certain customer walked into the room.  
"Hey everyone" Renge said, her voice strangely calm and collected, its usual squeakiness gone.  
"Renge?...I thought you had gone back to France already?" Tamaki muttered with confusion, just as surprised to see her as everyone else was. I had guessed that if Renge did decide to return, it would be with her tail between her legs squawking at us in apology. But she was surprisingly refined, this meeting much pleasanter than our first encounter, much more _sophisticated_.  
"Eh? Did you get lost or something? I think you took a wrong turn of something because this is the Host Club in Ouran, not the country of France in Europe" I said, grinning at her cheekily. She cleared her throat softly, her hand clasped in front of her in a lady like manner.  
"I can't believe I didn't realise it sooner, It was so chivalrous of you to protect your life to save me." She whispered, darting forward and grabbing Haruhi's hand. "When you said it was fun to get to know people little by little, you were talking about me..." I facepalmed at her stupidity, realising that this girl had not grown up or learnt a valuable lesson at all; She'd just moved from deluding herself that some pretty boy loves to to a pretty (cross-dressing) girl now loving her!? If Haruhi ever decided to fall in love with a girl, it would of course have to be me, not this lunatic in front of her! It seemed Tamaki wasn't too happy by the news either, I watched him tantruming in the corner with frustration at Renge's words, a fierce growl escaping his lips. I watched with dread as Renge grabbed Haruhi's arm and dragged her out of the room, saying Haruhi can get to know her better by playing the some video game at her house. Haruhi reached out to me for help, holding out her hand for me to grab but I simply mouthed an apology to her and shrugged helplessly, waving at her with an amused smile as Renge dragged her to her home of hell. As much as I disliked how Renge was treating Haruhi, It was still funnier watching a horrified Haruhi getting forced to play some lovey-dovey Otome game than helping her, no matter how cruel it was to make Haruhi be with that crazy girl alone.  
"Hey Kyoya-Senpai-" Hikaru started,  
"Are you OK with that?" Kaoru finished asking, the twins curious to know how Kyoya felt about this sudden change of affection. I was curious as well.  
"Why wouldn't I be? Everything Renge's said is true." Kyoya smoothly replied, still writing his deathnote-I mean, _notebook_.  
"NO IT ISN'T!" Tamaki yelled, still not happy at all. Kyoya chuckled, saying with amusement to Tamaki that it was him who wanted Haruhi to have a more feminine friend. "YES, A FEMALE COMPANION NOT A GIRLFRIEND! DON'T TAKE HARUHI AWAY FROM ME RENGEEEE..." I laughed as Tamaki chased the two girls out the door, desperation in his voice as he tried to make the unreasonable girl see reason.  
"Silly Tamaki" I said, giggling. "The role of Haruhi's girlfriend is already taken, that position was filled by me a _looong_ time ago..." And thats when the Host Club started to doubt themselves, really wandering for a moment if me and Haruhi were a couple. We weren't really dating, of course, but theres nothing wrong with keeping the boy's on their toes, is there? As I dashed out of the room, impulsively now deciding it would be safer for Haruhi for me to be the third wheel on their little date, I heard Kyoya chuckle, muttering something about it always being harder to keep a hold of me when I'm always running after girls, his tone quite down. At the time I thought nothing of it, but later on I realised there was a deeper meaning to his words...

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**Hi again, please tell me what you think about my newest chapter, by reviewing my work, all opinions are appreciated! **_Did you like this chapter? What do you think?_

Heeeyy, so what do you guys think? My longest chapter yet, so can I get a little love for that? (WOO WOO) But seriously, this chapter is over 15,000 words and I know there will be more silly mistakes in here than normal, so please ignore any crappy mistakes and don't let it ruin your overall reading experience ;)

Anyway, back to the events in the chapter...Did you like it? There was a lot of Kyoya X Ayane in this chapter since it just felt natural to do that, so for fans of that pairing I hope I've matched your expectations. For fans of other pairings, don't worry, next chapter will focus less on Kyoya simply because he's not a main part of the next story arc!  
I would hope as a fan of OHSHC you know the song Ayane sung, since it's the national anthem of this fandom! :) I didn't plan to use that song at all in the story but while I was writing this I was thinking *Damn, the host club are doing a movie starring them and Ayane isn't singing the theme song? That's not right!* So it was added as an afterthought so I hope that the whole scene slots in seamlessly into the chapter and doesn't make it seem randomly placed or anything :)  
I hope I managed to make write Ayane and Renge's relationship well, since I was unsure how to tackle how they felt about each other so...Please tell me your thoughts! I promise to update soon so please be patient and for my wonderful supporters who celebrate it _**HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**_

**Anyway, if you like my story, please follow it, because if you do, you'll be the first to see my newest chapters!**

_That's all folks, Goodbye! :)_

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**P.S. I was talking with my friend who writes fanfiction and she thinks its a good idea to say this next message because it's important-So I guess I have to listen to my senpai and do as I'm told LOL :)**

**I give permission, AND PASSIONATELY ENCOURAGE, artists of all talents to freely made fanart based on my character. Whether you put it on deviantart or your blog, I don't mind you making work based off of a pairing in this story or just a simple picture of my OC. I really don't mind and you don't have to ask me permission if you want to and I definitely won't get mad at you if you do it. **

** In fact, I greatly encourage you to do them as it shows your love for my story! Pictures of Ayane at ouran in her uniform, or even a funny little chibi drawing of her will be greatly admired by me! If you decide to draw a picture of Ayane with the boy of your choice or even a full ouran portrait, I will forever love you! The only thing I ask of you is that if you do want to do me this great honor, then please send me a private message to say you did and a link to where you put it up online, so I can look at it and then personally thank you for doing the drawing and make a special effort to mention you in my latest chapter, even putting the picture of Ayane you drew as the thumbnail picture for this story! **


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